Asian Tour: Chacarra shrugs off lack of sleep and double bogey to take 36-hole lead at Volvo China Open

Spaniard cards a four-under-par 68 to move to nine under, one shot clear of China’s Zhang Huilin and Chen Guxin

Mixed day for Hong Kong’s golfers, with Taichi Kho on four under, but missed cuts for Matthew Cheung, Jason Hak and amateur Shen Wang-ngai

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Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra watches his tee shot on 18 during the second round of the Volvo China Open at the Hidden Grace Golf Club in Shenzhen. Photo: Asian Tour

Published: 7:49pm, 3 Nov 2023

Eugenio Chacarra birdied three of his last four holes on Friday to take a narrow one-shot lead into the weekend at the Volvo China Open.

The Spaniard shrugged off a lack of sleep because of jet lag and a double-bogey at 18, his ninth hole of the day, to card a four-under-par 68 to move to nine-under for the International Series tournament.

China’s Zhang Huilin, who won this event in 2020, and Chen Guxin are a shot further back after rounds of 68 and 69, respectively, at Hidden Grace Golf Club in Shenzhen.

“I did a good job with my caddie on the second nine, focused shot by shot and I ended up playing well,” said Chacarra, who won the Asian Tour’s St Andrews Bay Championship in August.

“Nine under at the start of the tournament is good. Some work to do this afternoon on the range and check a few things with my coach but happy.”

Taichi Kho hits out of a fairway bunker during the second round of the International Series event. Photo: Asian Tour.

All three might have expected to be trailing Jack Thompson by at least two shots, but the Australian paid for his late tee time, and after being on 11 under with six to play, dropped four shots in the fading light, finishing with a double-bogey on nine.