Crans Montana, Switzerland: Asian Tour Order of Merit leader Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand hauled himself back into contention by firing a second round three-under-par 68 to stay in touch with the leaders at the Omega European Masters on Friday.


The two-time Asian Tour winner found himself languishing in tied-63rd place at the end of the first round when he opened with a 71 at the only tournament on European soil to be jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.

The Thai, however made his swift comeback by trading five birdies against two bogeys to make his move up the leaderboard with his two-day total of three-under-par 139 at the €2.1 million, approximately US$2.8 million showpiece event in Crans Montana.


“I played some good golf today and it’s definitely better than the first round. I made several good putts and managed to hit my second shots well on several tough holes,” said Kiradech.


With the pin positions and greens at the Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club proving to be a tough challenge for the 24-year-old, Kiradech hopes to bring out the best in his short game when the weekend rounds commences.


“The pin positions were quite tough and the greens were tricky. On a couple of holes, they put it very near the slopes. So it was really tough to putt from a long distance. Hopefully I can put the ball in the right position and give myself lots of birdie chances,” said Kiradech.


Compatriot Pariya Junhasavasdikul, who is among the early starters, is also confident he can hit top form again following his wire-to-wire victory in Malaysia in June.


While he could not match his opening 67, Pariya’s second round 72 was enough to see him make the cut for the first time in three appearances at the Omega European Masters.


“I’ll take this score as this is the first time I’ve made the cut here. I was grinding through the last nine coming in, trying to make some birdies after two bogeys in the front-nine,” said the two-time Asian Tour winner.


“My swing and my putting are already there. All that needs to show up now is my tempo and my mental game,” said Pariya.


Meanwhile Chapchai Nirat signed for a 70 for a 141 total while Thaworn Wiratchant and Arnond Vongvanij look likely to face the early exit after compiling matching 144s.