Golf: Faldo in the hunt

A rejuvenated Nick Faldo is just two shots off the lead in pursuit of his first European Tour victory since 1994 in the £630,000 Caltex Singapore Masters at Laguna National.

Faldo, making his first appearance in Singapore since winning the Johnnie Walker Classic here in 1993, holed birdie putts from 30 and 40 feet on two of his last three holes to card a second round 69 for a seven-under-par halfway total.

That left the 44-year-old Englishman just two shots off the lead still held by overnight leader Nick O’Hern, the Staffordshire-based Australian adding a 71 to his opening course record 64.

Starting on the 10th in overcast but humid conditions, Faldo opened with five straight pars before birdies on the 15th and 16th to reach the turn in 34.

A further eight pars followed before the six-time major winner holed from 30 feet on the par five seventh, bogeyed the treacherous par three eighth with its green almost entirely surrounded by water, and then conjured up a remarkable birdie on the ninth, his final hole.

Pulling his drive way left, Faldo was happy to simply get his second onto the putting surface, but promptly holed from 40 feet, down and across a severe slope, turning to the crowd with a look of amazement at such an unlikely bonus.

‘‘I actually played better today than yesterday and had quite a few chances,’’ said Faldo, already with top 10 finishes in his first two events of 2002 in Australia.

‘‘I hit a good putt on 10 that went right around the hole, left it short on 11 by an eighth of an inch, so I had to be patient and grind on, and made the day by holing two big putts on seven and nine.

‘‘On the ninth I was unhappy hitting driver and just decelerated and pulled it way left, and was just aiming to get it on the blooming green. It was a good 40 feet, a snaky putt and a good one to hole.’’

Faldo had been three behind O’Hern when he finished but the left-hander dropped his only shot of the day at the 16th to finish on nine-under 135, as Faldo’s prediction that he would not be far from the lead at the end of the day came true.

Unheralded American Jim Johnson was in second place a shot behind O’Hern after a 67 today, with Faldo alongside another American Mike Cunning and Korea’s Charlie Wi a shot further back.

O’Hern, seeking his first tour win, said: ‘‘I played pretty similar to yesterday but just didn’t hole the putts I did then.

‘‘I had a lot of opportunities but missed two or three putts from five or six feet for birdies which was disappointing.

‘‘If I had shot five or six under today I could have opened up a nice gap but if I stay ahead of the field that’s fine.

‘‘I’m surprised no-one made much of a charge. There was not much breeze on the front nine so it was there for the taking.’’

Jean Van de Velde could only card a 75 after Thursday’s 67 to finish two under and make the cut by just one shot, but Ian Woosnam missed the cut with plenty to spare after adding a second round 79 to his opening 73 to finish on eight-over-par.

The 43-year-old was playing his first tournament in over three months and was understandably rusty, four balls into the water that comes into play on 12 of Laguna National’s 18 holes costing him dear, including double bogeys on three par threes.

‘‘Every time I hit a bad shot I hit it into the water,’’ said Woosnam, like Faldo a winner of the Johnnie Walker Classic on his last trip to Singapore in 1996, at the Tanah Merah course literally across the road from Laguna National.

‘‘It was just one bad shot every now and again that went straight right.

‘‘After three and a half months I have to start from scratch, I don’t know what I’m doing.

‘‘I think I just need to play. On this course if you’re not playing well it’s going to catch up with you and can add up to a big number.’’