Hoey leads Irish challenge in Singapore

Michael Hoey put in a blistering second round of 65 to lead the Irish challenge at the Singapore Masters on four under par, just five shots off the lead.

Meanwhile, Peter Lawrie shot a second round of 69 to lie just one shot behind on three under.

Just as he had at the end of day one, local favourite Mardan Mamat holds the lead after the second round – but owes his advantage to a huge error from Prayad Marksaeng of Thailand.

The Asian Tour veteran was in unstoppable form for much of his round until a triple bogey at the 17th derailed his charge.

Meanwhile, a round of 70 has kept Nick Dougherty’s defence of his title just about on course, but he has ground to make up over the weekend.

He tried to keep the pressure on Marksaeng and four birdies in a front nine of 33 helped.

The Liverpudlian could have made more birdies later and threw his club to the ground after a seven-foot putt slid narrowly past the hole at the 15th.

But he fluffed his lines at the par-three 17th, pulling his tee shot to the right before failing to find the green, and his chip left a difficult putt for bogey, which he missed.

That dropped him into a pack at five under and afterwards he seethed: “It wasn’t good. I didn’t play great, but even so, I was looking to finish eight or nine under. I had nothing going for me all day, I couldn’t get putts to drop.

“I hit a bad shot on 17 and had a terrible lie there and made double, but that’s the nature of the game. I’m just desperately disappointed with today.”

For a time it looked as if anyone’s chances of victory might disappear with every birdie Marksaeng sank.

The 40-year-old shot a front-nine 31, with birdies in six of his first eight holes, before coming unstuck with a bogey at the ninth.

That appeared to take some of the wind out of his sails and he did not make another birdie until the fifteenth, which moved him to 11 under.

A bogey at 16, though, ruined his rhythm and he found the water en route to a six on the par-three 17th, turning a one-stroke lead into a two-stroke deficit. A birdie at the last repaired some of the damage and he is tied with Australian Marcus Both at eight under overnight.

Mamat, already in the clubhouse at nine under, was the grateful recipient of Marksaeng’s misjudgement.

The Singaporean’s momentum looked to have gone after he dropped two shots by the seventh, but regained his composure with a birdies at eight, 10, 14 and 18 to card a 70.

Earlier in the day, Both had made his second successive 68. The 26-year-old dropped two shots, but still made four pars and an excellent eagle at the 11th.

England’s Ross Fisher had a run of four straight birdies between the second and the fifth holes for a 68 to lie five under overnight.

On four under, South African Charl Schwartzel’s stealthy rise up the leaderboard left him, and a revived Simon Dyson, of England, within shouting distance of Mamat.

Joint overnight leader Marcus Fraser, of Australia, fell away with a 76, not helped by a double bogey on his last hole.

Two of the favourites for the tournament are already on their way home. Swede Niclas Fasth was the top-ranked player at the event, but struggled from the off and his par 72 left him three over for the tournament.

Another tipped to go well, Thai Thongchai Jaidee, who started the day four over par, fared slightly better by shooting a 70, but still missed the cut.

Meanwhile, Ireland's David Higgins kept his hopes alive with an even par round of 72 to stand at one under. However, Damien McGrane and Gary Murphy, both on four over, looked set to miss the cut.