Michael Campbell leads the UBS Hong Kong Open after the second round
New Zealand’s Michael Campbell upstaged the marquee players at the UBS Hong Kong Open on Friday, shooting a six-under par 64, to take a one-stroke lead after the second round at the Hong Kong Golf Club.
Miguel Angel Jimenez had three birdies without a single bogey for a 67 and was tied for the second position with Sweden’s Fredrik Andersson Hed and Zhang Lian-Wei of China.
Campbell is in prime position of winning his first European Tour title in seven years. His last victory came at the HSBC World Match Play Championship in 2005.
Following his victory in the 2005 US Open, the Kiwi star made only four cuts in two years and slid outside the top-1000 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Four months ago, he still ranked outside the top-900. However, a strong finish at the Portugal Master – he tied for the third position – moved him into the top-350 in the standings.
This week, he entered the field with an aim of ending his winning drought on the tour. So far, he appears to be moving on the right track.
The New Zealander got off to a confident start, as he carded birdies on the first and the third hole, with a bogey sandwiched in-between them.
He then added four birdies in a row, starting from the seventh hole to reach five-under for the round.
Afterwards, he parred each of the next seven holes, prior to ending the round with the seventh birdie of the day. At the end of the round, he found himself settled for his best round score in six years.
“Today was a day where I played great from tee-to-green and holed a few nice putts for pars and birdies,” he said. “I’m just happy to be in a position to have a chance for the weekend; that’s why we play the game, that’s why I didn’t give up”.
“That’s why I just stuck at it, just stuck working hard on my game, and I knew that this would happen – I deserve it, really,” he added.
“It’s been a gradual build-up over the last three or four months, a few top 15s. Portugal was a great boost to my confidence, and it shows this week”.
Tags: