On a day in which the oppressive heat sapped the strength of even the strongest players, Jamie Donaldson held on to a two-shot lead in the second round of the Thailand Golf Championship at Amata Spring Golf and Country Club Friday. The Welsh Ryder Cup star fired a four-under 68 to keep two clear of a charging Martin Kaymer who moved into second spot with an excellent seven-under 65, the best round of the day. Spain's Sergio Garcia, who shot 69, led the chasing pack a further two strokes behind, along with the impressive English youngster Matthew Fitzpatrick who shot an excellent 67 and Thailand's Chinnarat Phadungsil with a 69. In joint sixth place were Korea's Byeong-Hun An with a 67, and Thailand's Panuphol Pittayarat who shot 66. Donaldson, who fired a magnificent 63 in the opening round, admitted the tropical heat was a factor. One of the pre-tournament favorites, big-hitting Bubba Watson, was some way back after shooting a 70. He admitted he was not at his best and was happy to make the cut. Defending champion Lee Westwood felt he was still in with a chance after shooting a 68, although he is well behind the leaders. Thai fans were pleased to see their local hero Thongchai Jaidee have a much better second round, ensuring he would make the cut and climb the leaderboard after shooting a five-under 67. English and Kuchar grab Shootout lead Americans Matt Kuchar and Harris English combined for a 14-under par 58 in a scramble format Thursday to seize a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the 27th annual Franklin Templeton Shootout in Naples, Florida. The three-day invitational event hosted by retired Australian star Greg Norman matches 12 pairs of golf's top men's players in three different styles, with Friday featuring a modified alternate shot and Saturday's final round utilizing a better-ball format. Kuchar and English, the only pairing to have played the event together more than once, won the Shootout in 2013 and finished second last year. Kuchar comes off a win in October at the Fiji International event on the Australasia PGA Tour while English has a best finish of second this year, losing a playoff at Torrey Pines. Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, who won a US PGA Tour event last month in Mexico, and American Gary Woodland were one stroke adrift, sharing second with the US duo of Hunter Mahan and Billy Horschel. Americans Daniel Berger and Charley Hoffman shared fourth on 60 with Colombia's Camilo Villegas and American Cameron Tringale. Last year, Tringale won the title alongside Aussie Jason Day, who last week pulled out of defending the title. — Agencies
