Seven birdies, no bogeys give Im a 13-under 127 total, three shots clear of the field
Im Sung-jae moved into sole possession of the lead at the Asian Tour's SJM Macao Open ($1 million purse) on Friday, carding back-to-back bogey-free rounds.
Im fired a 7-under 63 at Macao Golf and Country Club (par 70) in Macao, China, collecting seven birdies without a bogey. Having shared the first-round lead with a 6-under 64 on Thursday, Im reached a 13-under 127 total to stand three shots clear of the group tied for second at 10-under 130.
Over two days, Im has made 13 birdies without a bogey. He opened his scoring with a birdie at the fourth hole, then added back-to-back birdies at the sixth and seventh to turn three under for the day. On the back nine, he birdied the 11th and 12th consecutively before closing with birdies at the 15th and 18th to complete a clean round.
A two-time PGA Tour winner, Im finished tied for seventh at this event last year. This week he has gone from co-leader after the opening round to outright leader after the second, putting himself in position to claim his first Asian Tour title.
Wang Wei-hsuan of Taiwan was Im's closest pursuer at 10-under 130, while China's Wu Ashun sat in the top tier at 8-under 132.
Korean American Kevin Na was at 7-under 133 through 36 holes.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
