Tianjin, China, May 3 - Once again Indonesia's top player Rory Hie did not manage to make the cut at the Volvo China Open. In a scenario that mirrors that of last year, a poor second round score saw him drop from 58th after round 1 to the back of the field once again. His final score of 147 (73-74) puts him 3 shots from the cut.
Meanwhile, Finland's Mikko Ilonen, seeking a first victory since winning twice in 2007, fired a record-equaling nine-under-par 63 on Friday to claim a three-shot lead after the second round of the Volvo China Open at Tianjin Binhai Lake Golf Club.
Ilonen is 12 under at the 20 million yuan (U.S. $3.2 million tournament), co-sanctioned by OneAsia and the European Tour, with a pair of more recent winners lurking in the shadows in the form of Australian Brett Rumford and Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who both shot 67s.
Overnight leader Robert-Jan Derksen (70) is a shot further back, while defending champion Branden Grace (67) is three under.
The cut was set at par, also eliminating 12-year-old local wonder boy Ye Wocheng who became the youngest player ever to take part in a OneAsia or European Tour event when he teed off on Thursday. He shot two rounds of 79.
Ilonen, playing the course back-to-front, had a blemish-free-round that included three birdies on his opening nine and six on the way home. He has shot 63 twice before, and his score equalled the course record set by Swede Alexander Noren at the same event last year.
"I hit the ball better than yesterday. Obviously 69 yesterday was a good score and it was a bit breezier, but I gave myself more chances today -- hit more greens and hit more fairways. It was a very stress-free round today," he said.
He credited a six week spell away from home during the off season with helping him prepare better for 2013.
"I went away with my family in December to Thailand, to Black Mountain (Golf Course), for five to six weeks before the season started. Compared to a year ago it was a lot of good preparation in a facility where you can hit balls outdoors."
Rumford dedicated his round to caddy, John "Ronnie" Roberts, who marked his 67th birthday on Friday and has overseen something of a renaissance in the Australian's career since taking over his bag in December.
"Each player has their own motivation, I guess, and that varies from day-to-day," said Rumford, who ended a five-year drought with victory in the European Tour's Ballantine's Championship in Korea last week.
"It was in my mind at the beginning of the day that it would be nice to shoot 67 on Ronnie's 67th birthday. Tomorrow I'll have to find something different to motivate me."
Kiradech, who won his first European Tour event at the Malaysian Open in March, missed only one green in regulation despite the wind around the long, links-style course, which played to 6,749 metres (7,381 yards) on Friday.
"My driver has done very well for the first two days," he said.
"I talked to my coach last night and he said I have to keep the ball low, and if you miss, miss on the right side. If you miss on the easy side, you can still get up and down, you can still have a mistake and recover."
Pre-teen Ye was somewhat overwhelmed by the course's length and the wind, but still found positives from the experience.
"Golf is a hard game to play at this level of competition and on these courses, but I feel I will soon be ready for it," he said. "I’m looking forward to the next time I can play out here."
His 16-year-old compatriot Dou Zecheng, however, made the cut after shooting level par on Friday to go with his opening round 70.
"I feel great to have achieved that," he said. "Now I will enjoy my game through the weekend. I am not thinking too much about the score, just trying my best and getting more experience."
Scores after round two of the Volvo China Open 2013 (Par 72):
132 - Mikko ILONEN (FIN) 69-63
135 - Brett RUMFORD (AUS) 68-67, Kiradech APHIBARNRAT (THA) 68-67
136 - Robert-Jan DERKSEN (NED) 66-70
137 - Pablo LARRAZABAL (ESP) 71-66, Lee SLATTERY (ENG) 69-68
138 - Matthew GRIFFIN (AUS) 70-68, Graeme STORM (ENG) 70-68
139 - Mark FOSTER (ENG) 70-69, Richie RAMSAY (SCO) 71-68, Paul CASEY (ENG) 71-68, PARK Sang-hyun (KOR) 69-70, Aaron TOWNSEND (AUS) 69-70, Joel SJOHOLM (SWE) 74-65, Damien McGRANE (IRL) 73-66
Selected:
147 - Rory HIE (INA) 73-74
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