By Mikhil Bhat/Doha

The 2009 Asian Order of Merit winner carded a 3 under 69 on the second day yesterday to take his total to a 5 under 139 with two more rounds to go.

The 43-year-old had a bogey-free day with three birdies on the front nine – on the third, fourth and the eighth holes – to comfortably make the cut and stay within four shots of the lead.

Compatriot Prom Meesawat also made the cut with a 1-under score for the day and a 2-under overall. Starting on the back nine, Meesawat began with two birdies and another one on the 18th. The front nine, however, undid his work with two bogeys pulling him back.

India’s SSP Chowrasia had an anxious second half yesterday after he carded a 1 over yesterday morning settling for a 1 under for
the two days. With the likes of Marcus Fraser and Martin Kaymer going at 9 under, the 34-year-old just made the cut.

“I neither hit the irons very well nor the putts. I couldn’t get the iron shots closer to the hole, which meant that my birdie chances took a hit,” Chowrasia told Gulf Times. “And whatever birdie chances I got, I couldn’t putt them right.”

Chowrasia managed two putts on the back nine, but it was the one on the 17th that gave him at least a chance to make the cut after having hit three bogeys on the front nine.

“Thankfully, I managed a putt on the 17th, giving me a birdie,” he said. “The situation is very tight. My progress now depends on someone else now and I do not like that one bit. Hopefully I will make it.” That he did.

Compatriot Jeev Milkha Singh, however, had only half his Wednesday’s wish granted yesterday. The 41-year-old had told Gulf Times that he would have been happy with a birdie each on the first and the last hole.

While he did manage a birdie on the 18th, and three more birdies on the back nine, he had started his day with two consecutive bogeys. Another bogey on the fifth and two double bogeys, on the ninth and 14th didn’t help his cause at all.

“It was not too good today. Lot of errant shots. Hit birdies on the back nine but obviously wasn’t good enough to take me through to the weekend,” he said.

“I will have to work hard on my iron play and a bit of driving too considering I haven’t practiced much on my driving with my finger niggle. That’s what I plan to do next few days.”

When asked if his finger niggle hampered his game, he said, “It was paining a little bit. But you know you get into wrong habits with the injury, and you want to start doing the right stuff and trusting yourself on the course more.”

“I have exemptions on the European Tour, the Asian Tour and also on the Japan Tour, so I am not under any pressure to play but I just don’t like sitting and home and do nothing,” he added.

Meanwhile, the two Qatari amateurs, Saleh al-Kaabi and Ghanim al-Kuwari did not make the cut at the $2.5 million tournament with the scores of 15 over and 17 over respectively.