Manila: Overnight leader Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand remained in prime position of becoming the second youngest professional winner on the Asian Tour after he posted a three-under-par 69 to grab a share of the second round lead with Philippines’ Angelo Que and Canada’s Richard T. Lee at the US$750,000 Resorts World Manila Masters on Friday.

The 17-year-old could follow the footsteps of Korea’s Noh Seung-yul by winning his first title on the region’s premier Tour at a tender age if he continues to show the composure and talent that the crowd has come to take notice of over the last two days at the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club.

Thailand’s Prom Meesawat signed for a flawless 67 to be bunched with Spanish rookie Carlos Pigem, England’s Chris Rodgers and Malaysia’s highest-ranked player Nicholas Fung in equal fourth place.

After shaking off the effects of flu, Jazz is now looking forward to playing his best golf during the weekend rounds.

Like any other teenager, the overnight leader just wants to adopt a carefree attitude and enjoy himself over the next 36 holes.

“I try not to think too much about winning yet as I believe the key to doing well is to have fun. I’m beginning to feel very comfortable around this golf course and I’m enjoying myself,” said Jazz, who turned professional one day before his 15th birthday at the King’s Cup in Thailand in 2010.

“I was struggling to finish my round yesterday and it was a pleasant surprise when I took the lead. I missed a couple of putts today but it was alright, I’m well now and hopefully this good run will continue,” added the Hua Hin native, who compiled a two-day total of 11-under-par 133.

Que kept the local hopes alive when he fired a 66 to remain firmly in contention for his first Asian Tour win on home soil in five years.

The three-time Asian Tour winner’s last home victory on the region’s premier Tour was in 2008 when he won his country’s National Open. And a victory at the Resorts World Manila Masters will cap a brilliant year for the 34-year-old who has enjoyed four top-five finishes so far.

“I’ve been playing with a lot of confidence since finishing fourth in India last week. I am in top form coming back to play on home soil this week. It’s good to see my wife following me throughout my round. It’s easier to play when I know my family is close by. I’m more relaxed on the course too,” said Que, who marked his card with eight birdies against two bogeys.

Lee, who has yet to drop a shot this week, is also bracing himself for an enthralling weekend ahead.

The rookie overcame the windy conditions to mark his card with birdies on holes four, seven, 11 and 17.

“It was getting windy out there just like yesterday’s afternoon but I told myself not to make any mistakes. The last two rounds are going to be pretty interesting! I will keep to my own game plan for the next two rounds and we will see how it goes,” said Lee.

Fung, who currently leads the rankings on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) which is the Tour’s secondary circuit, is delighted to be putting his experience on playing on the ADT to good advantage.

“I have played a couple of Asian Tour events this year and I have been enjoying it so far. I gained experience and I learn a lot from playing with the Asian Tour professionals too,” said Fung.

“It was not as windy as yesterday when I played in the afternoon so I guess that was an advantage for me. Both my driving and putting were solid today. I just hope to maintain my form and continue to play well tomorrow,” said the 23-year-old Fung.

Meanwhile Prom remains hopeful of ending his seven-year title drought after his last win on the Asian Tour came in Korea in 2006.

While he has yet to reach the dizzy heights of 2006, the 29-year-old is optimistic of making his return to the winner’s circle after soaking in the day’s positives.

“I didn’t make too many mistakes today. I had a good start despite playing in the wind which was always going to be challenging. If you keep the ball in play and hit it onto the green, you’ll have a good chance for birdie because the greens here are very small,” said Prom.

“I’m still looking for my second win and I’m going to try my best. I’ll try to stay close to the top of the leaderboard and hopefully things go my way come Sunday,” said Prom.

The weekend cut was set a two-under with 65 players making the cut.


Leading scores after round 2 of the Resorts World Manila Masters being played at the par 72, 7337 Yards Manila Southwoods GcC course (a- denotes amateur):

133 - Angelo QUE (PHI) 67-66, Richard T. LEE (CAN) 65-68, Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) 64-69.
134 - Nicholas FUNG (MAS) 70-64, Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 67-67, Carlos PIGEM (ESP) 68-66, Chris RODGERS (ENG) 68-66.
135 - Adilson DA SILVA (BRA) 68-67, David LIPSKY (USA) 66-69.
136 - LIANG Wen-chong (CHN) 67-69, Mithun PERERA (SRI) 69-67, Stephen LEWTON (ENG) 70-66, HUNG Chien-yao (TPE) 68-68, Charles HONG (PHI) 66-70, Kalle SAMOOJA (FIN) 67-69.
137 - Himmat RAI (IND) 68-69, LEE Sung (KOR) 67-70, Thanyakon KHRONGPHA (THA) 67-70, Jaakko MAKITALO (FIN) 69-68, Carlos SAINZ Jr. (USA) 66-71, Sam BRAZEL (AUS) 71-66, S.S.P. CHOWRASIA (IND) 71-66, Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 69-68, LAM Chih Bing (SIN) 67-70.
138 - Digvijay SINGH (IND) 70-68, David LUTTERUS (AUS) 68-70, Anthony KANG (USA) 67-71, Sutijet KOORATANAPISAN (THA) 67-71, TSAI Chi-huang (TPE) 68-70, Pariya JUNHASAVASDIKUL (THA) 68-70.

Selected scores
141 - Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) 72-69, Mardan MAMAT (SIN) 71-70