Howell goes two shots clear

David Howell maintained the red-hot pace at the top of the TCL Classic leaderboard as a 63 moved him to 17-under-par 127 after two rounds.

The world number 14’s nine-under-par round gave him a two-stroke lead at the Yalong Bay Golf Club in China.

He improved on yesterday’s opening round of 64 with a fine second day’s display which saw him reach the turn in just 30 strokes and make 11 birdies in all.

Bogies at his 12th and 17th holes prevented the Englishman from further extending his lead over nearest challenger Andrew Buckle from Australia.

Buckle added a 66 to his opening 63 and presented the most immediate threat to the European number one at the midway point.

Overnight leader Edward Loar fell well short of the course-record 62 he hit on Thursday, recording a 69 to sit in third place on 13-under alongside Argentinians Daniel Vancsik and Ariel Canete as well as South Africa’s Warren Abery.

Defending champion Paul Casey remained in touch after a round of 68 left him on 11-under.

Ireland’s Paul McGinley, the man Casey defeated in a play-off last year, improved on his performance in the first round, hitting a seven-under-par 65 to move on to 10-under for the tournament.

It proved another day of low-scoring, with Howell and two others – Indian pair Jeev Milkha Singh and Amandeep Johl – hitting nine-under-par 63s as the cut for the final two days’ play was set at five under par.

Singh was in a group of four players which includes Australian Scott Strange, Swede Joakim Haeggman and Charl Schwartzel of South Africa on 12 under par for the first two rounds.

Nick Dougherty, meanwhile, posted a five-under 67 to go with his 66 on the first day to move to 11-under, six shots back.

Howell – commencing from the 10th tee – started in blistering fashion, picking up shots at the second, third, fourth and fifth holes before recording another two birdies at his seventh and eighth.

Two more birdies at the first and second – his 10th and 11th holes – had him looking to be on track to obliterate the course record set on Thursday by American Loar and China’s Liang Wen Chong.

A bogey at the third – his 12th – slowed his progress and three further birdies were reined in by another dropped shot at his penultimate hole to leave him one off the course mark but with his best ever performance in a single round on the European Tour.

Ireland's Stephen Browne, who carded a seven under par 65 yesterday, missed the cut as he went around in four over par today.