By IANS,
Loch Lomond (Scotland) : India’s Jeev Milkha Singh gave himself a last chance to qualify for the British Open as he added a second four-under 68 to total six-under 136 and place himself in tied eighth place at the midway stage of the Barclay’s Scottish Open golf tournament.
Jeev, winner of the Austria Open this season, is just three shots behind the leader Angel Cabrera (68) of Argentina here Friday.
The 2007 US Open winner Cabrera shot a bogey-free 65 in the first and is now nine-under 133 for two rounds.
Meanwhile, Shiv Kapur, S.S.P.Chowrasia and Daniel Chopra missed the halfway cut. Chowrasia (72, 70) was tied 82nd at even par, while Kapur (71, 72) was one-over and tied 91st, while Chopra (76, 74), winner on PGA Tour this year, was eight-over and 148th.
Jeev put himself in this position despite the putter letting him down badly at the Loch Lomond Golf Club. If Jeev finishes as the highest non-exempt player in top-five he will make the grade for British Open next week.
Jeev found 12 of the 14 fairway and then 16 of the 18 greens in regulation, he still needed 32 putts, which was four worse than 28 in first round.
“The putts just didn’t fall. I had a bunch of birdie chances, but had 14 two-putts and just four single putts,” said Jeev.
Five players were tied for third at seven-under with the players being Thomas Björn, England’s Simon Khan, Richard Green, Scot Paul Lawrie, the 1999 Open champion and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee.
Jeev, who started early on second day, finished his second round with six birdies and two bogeys, both on his second nine, which was the front stretch of the course.
Jeev opened the tenth and had two birdies on tenth and 13th to turn in two-under. On the second nine, he had a birdie-bogey sequence on second and third and again on fifth and sixth. But he birdied the ninth to come to three-under again.
Ernie Els, the World No.6, shot an excellent round of 66 to join Phil Mickelson on four under par overall and tied 30th place.