Shooting a 7-under-par 64 for the second day in a row lifted Dou Zecheng to number one in the leading list of the Lekang Sunshine Coast Classic. South Korean player Ahn Byung-hoon shot a 66 on Friday and remains in the title contending squad.
The match was suspended due to dark, and one player still failed to finish the second round. Dou Zecheng led Davis Thompson (12 under par) by two strokes and a three-stroke lead over the other 11 under par.
In the second round, Dou Zecheng caught a birdie on the par 10 hole and two more birdies on the par 13th and 18th four holes before the transfer. On his back nine holes (nine before the course), Dou caught five birdies (no. 1, 4, 6, 7 and 9) and swallowed a bogey on the par 4 hole on the second hole.
Ahn Byung-hoon, who lost his PGA Tour qualification at the end of last season, caught six birdies and swallowed a bogey, three strokes behind Dou Zecheng to tie for third place, and he is chasing his first Shining International Tour victory.
"Solid kick-off, my hardcore is good," Dou Zecheng said of his play this week, "I pushed some beautiful putters." There was a three-push today and a three-push yesterday, but I've been playing very steadily. ”
Dou Zecheng, who has won the Glorious Tour twice, has a complete exemption from the Tour for the third consecutive season after finishing 33rd in the regular season standings in the 2020-21 season.
In four races this season, Dou has finished in the top five twice, including a separate second place at the Grand Abaco Classic at Abaco Club in the Bahamas, when he maintained an absolute lead on 54 holes but shot a 2-over-par record on the last three holes before losing to Brandon Huggins on the second hole of the extended round.
"It was a good experience," Dou said, "and it's good to be in the playoffs." Getting a separate second place isn't a bad thing. If you start with the idea that you're going to finish second alone, you'll be happy. ”
The following week, Dou Zecheng won the T5 at the Panama Championship. A few days later, he failed to qualify for the Astalla Golf Championship, but he made the most of this unexpected break.
"I flew back immediately after I was eliminated on Saturday," Dou said, "and if I came back after playing four rounds in Bogotá, it would be a very difficult flight." I was supposed to take a red-eye flight on Monday, but I changed my itinerary to Saturday, and I arrived at this week's stage very early. This week I stayed at my friend's house, right next to the green in Cave 9. I think it's really comfortable to come here. I know it's the fifth week, but after a few days, I feel like I'm back to square one again. ”
Dou Zecheng shot a score of 64 or better for the 6th time in the 284th round of his career on the Korn Ferry Tour. In four previous games that have shot a 64, Dou zecheng has finished in the top ten in three, including his first win at the 2017 Digital League Open. That victory propelled Dou Zecheng to the top 25 in the regular season standings, making him and fellow countryman Zhang Xinjun the first two Chinese mainland golfers in history to win pga tour cards.
Dou Zecheng's second victory came at the 2019 Grand Exuma Bahamas Classic, however, at the end of that season, Dou Zecheng found himself eliminated 15 times in 23 other games, ranking outside the 25th place in the standings.
Dou Zecheng hopes to find a third victory this weekend, and he feels that with his confidence in the game, victory is not far away. "This year has been a little different for me. I came here and I feel like I'm very confident in my game," Dou Zecheng said, "In the last few years, I've played a good game, then stopped for a few weeks, and then played a good ball. Bumps back and forth. This year, I just felt like my race was ready. Every week is the same for me, and good shape is emerging. I just want to keep it that way. ”
"Going into the weekend, I will be more relaxed and comfortable... Didn't have any ideas, just played as usual and hoped there would be some good results. ”
As a member of the 2019 Presidents Cup international team, Ahn Byung-hoon is delighted with his round of matches. He said: "It felt like I was playing badly, but I still played a 5-under-par result. The ball in the morning was a little wet and it was hard to judge the distance, but overall, I was happy. I still have to compete with the other 140 players, still have to beat those guys and win here. The level of competition here is quite high. I played well in the Bahamas and Panama but still didn't qualify, so I need to play better to get to the top 10 or the top 5. ”