Seri Kembangan: Favourite Shaaban Hussin put himself in prime position of earning a third appearance at the CIMB Classic after battling to a two-under-par 69 at the Sapura National Qualifier on Tuesday. 

Shaaban opened up a three-shot lead, courtesy of an eagle three on the 17th hole in the second round of the RM150,000 event, which rewards the winner with a sponsor’s exemption to the lucrative CIMB Classic from October 25-28.

Danny Chia shot three straight birdies from the sixth hole for a 68 for second place while Nicholas Fung (70) and M. Sasidaran (69) were a further shot back in tied third place at The MINES Resort and Golf Club.

Shaaban was level par for the round after 16 holes but produced a magical eagle when his four iron approach shot landed seven feet from the hole. “I seemed to have lost focus on the back nine but my caddy gave me the confidence to push forward. The eagle really saved my round and I’m glad to maintain my lead,” said Shaaban, who totalled seven-under-par 135.

“I’m not taking my lead for granted. I still have a lot of work to do on the final day. There are a lot of experience players here who can shoot a low number so my spot in the CIMB Classic is not guaranteed yet,” added the lanky player.

Chia, who is aiming for a second appearance in the CIMB Classic, mixed his card with six birdies against three bogeys in near darkness as the second round was suspended for over an hour in the afternoon due to a thunderstorm.

“I’m quite surprised to be in second place. This is a tough golf course but I have good memories here after playing with Vijay Singh last year. I’m still adapting to my new swing so it will be quite an effort if I do win tomorrow,” said Chia, who may still earn a berth on the basis of being the top ranked Malaysian on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) even if he doesn’t win tomorrow.

Fung was one-over after 11 holes but took advantage of the rain suspension as he fired three straight birdies on holes 15, 16 and 17 before dropping a shot on the last.

“It (delay) worked in my favour because it gave me an opportunity to calm myself down. I started my round again on the 12th hole with a new mind set. Hit a few good birdies but got unlucky on the last hole when my second shot flew far right,” said Fung.

“This course has a nice layout but it doesn’t work in my advantage. You need to hit a lot of draw shots and that’s my weakness,” added the slightly built Sabahan, who finished as the top Malaysian in last week’s Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters.

The CIMB Classic, celebrating its third year,will feature 48 players, with 30 coming from the PGA TOUR, 10 from the Asian Tour and 8 sponsor’s exemptions. The players will compete for a US$6.1 million prize purse, with the winner taking home a prize purse of US$1.3 million.

From 2013 onwards, the CIMB Classic will be upgraded to an Official Money Event on the PGA TOUR and will be part of the season-long FedExCup competition. The field will also be expanded to include a minimum of 78 players and will carry a total purse of US$7million.

Leading second round scores
135 – Shaaban Hussin 66-69
138 – Danny Chia 70-68
139 – M. Sasidaran 70-69, Nicholas Fung 69-70
141 – Mohd Azman Basharuddin 71-70
142 – Md Rashid Ismail 72-70, Mohd Sukree Othman 71-71, Lim Eng Seng 69-73
143 – Chan Soo Keong 72-71, S. Sivachandhran 71-72, Kemarol Baharin 71-72
144 – Zurie Harun 76-68, Wilson Choo 70-74, Mohd Rizal Amin 69-75