True Thailand Classic: day two report

Miguel Angel Jiménez in action of the second day of the the True Thailand Classic presented by Black Mountain. Credit: Getty Images

(Image credit: Ian Walton)

By Roderick Easdale

published 13 February 2015

Miguel Angel Jiménez shrugs off flu to take the lead and Panuphol Pittayarat wins a £240,000 house with a hole-in-one

Miguel Angel Jiménez shrugged off flu to take the lead after the second round of the True Thailand Classic presented by Black Mountain.

“I have the flu and I’m very bunged up and slept terribly last night, but apart from that I’m fine,” said the 51-year-old Spaniard

His only blemish in a round which contained seven birdies came at his final hole, the 9th. A wayward tee shot followed by an approach which came up short of the green left him with a 66 and 11-under halfway total.

“I am disappointed to make bogey on the last but overall I played very soli," said Jiménez." I was hitting right at the flags today. You need to be in the right places on the greens to put the ball on the right side of the hole, because the putts are very fast - I like it.”

That closing bogey reduced Jimenez’s three-shot lead in True Thailand Classic to one as playing partner, local favourite Kiradech Aphibarnrat birdied from eight feet for a second consecutive 67. Also for the second day running, Aphibarnrat had eagled the 2nd.

Another Thai, Panuphol Pittayarat, also ended the day happy - and in his case the owner of a new house, one of the three-bedroom townhouses being built alongside the 9th fairway on the course. This is the prize for a hole-in-one on the 192 yard 14th, which he won with a 6-iron strike.

“I feel like I’ve won this golf tournament,” Pittayarat said. “I wasn’t sure if it had gone in. But one of the guys ran up and he said there’s no golf ball on the greens. So I started yelling. I was out of my mind. “

“I’m still shaking after finishing 18 holes,” he continued. “It’s the second time I got a hole-in-one. All I got the first time was two shots. But this time I really got something!”

Pittayarat made an eagle, four birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey in his 71. Having carded 75 in the first round, his misses the cut.

First-round leader of the True Thailand Classic Michael Hoey could only manage an even-par 72, and is now three shot off the lead.

True Thailand Classic leaderboard

Contributing Writer Golf courses and travel are Roderick’s particular interests and he was contributing editor for the first few years of the Golf Monthly Travel Supplement. He writes travel articles and general features for the magazine, travel supplement and website. He also compiles the magazine's crossword. He is a member of Trevose Golf & Country Club and has played golf in around two dozen countries. Cricket is his other main sporting love. He is the author of five books, four of which are still in print: The Novel Life of PG Wodehouse; The Don: Beyond Boundaries; Wally Hammond: Gentleman & Player and England’s Greatest Post-War All Rounder.