Eight of the 13 Indians made the cut while Harmeet Kahlon was the best, carding four-under 67, in the second round of the Macau Open Golf tournament at the par-71 Macau Golf and Country Club on Friday.
Kahlon, who now has 36-hole total of four-under 138, is four strokes behind leader Lu Wei-lan, who snatched a one-stroke lead following a five-under-par 66, while his younger brother, Lu Wei-chih, shot the week's first hole-in-one.
The Indian, tied 12th, scored more to his liking though the double bogey on the 18th after starting on the tenth rankled him.
The cut, which came at two-over 144, was also successfully achieved by Arjun Singh (68), who was three-under 139 at tied 15th; Amandeep Johl (71) and Uttam Mundy (71) were both at one-under 141 in tied 28th.
Rahil Gangjee (72) was at even-par 142 in tied 38th, while Gurbaaz Mann (70) was tied 51st at one-over 143. Just squeezing inside the cut line was first-timer Sandy Lehal (73, 71) at two-over 144.
Shiv Kapur, who was 12th last week, was among those who missed the cut apart from compatriot Digvijay Singh, Gaurav Ghei, Firoz Ali and Vivek Bhandari.
Arjun Singh, who does not have a card this season and is playing on country spot, had aggregate three-under 139 after a steady round of four birdies and one bogey today.
Johl had just one eagle and two bogeys in his 71, and Uttam Singh Mundy, who had a one-under 70 on first day, also had an eagle on par-4 seventh. He shot a 71 and is tied 28th at one-under 141, the same as Johl.
Particularly pleasing for Kahlon was his six birdies on the front nine, which was his second nine. He also had a bogey on ninth and earlier a double on 18th.
"I hit it close and made some good putts. The longest putt was at the fifth hole where I holed a 35-footer.
"The others were from pretty close range and I'm pleased with this. I've been playing alright over the last few weeks but not scoring well. So it's nice to put in a good round today, especially on the back nine," said Kahlon of his efforts.
But he was somewhat disappointed with the double on the 18th.
"I started from the 10th and had a double bogey on 18. I hit a bad drive to the left and into the hazard and ran up a double.
"Yesterday, I made birdie there. It shows that on this course, you just take what it gives. However, I do like playing in Macau as I finished fifth here last year, so it does help with the confidence."
Another Indian, Mundy, said, "I've been trying to play well on the Asian Tour and to be more consistent. I've taken up yoga eight months ago where the focus is on power and meditation. I've had lapses in concentration in the past and hopefully, the yoga will help me improve on this aspect.
"I'm pleased with my swing, it's pretty compact now and I just need to score better now. It's always one bad round that hurt my game," said Mundy, who also uses a camera to analyse his own game.
The 31-year-old Wei-lan was in great form at the as he tamed strong winds with six birdies on the card, including four on the treacherous homeward stretch.
His two-day total of 10-under-par 132 is one stroke clear of Australian Marcus Both, who moved into contention with a battling 68.
The tournament's star Fred Couples had a tough day. The former US Masters champion signed for a disappointing 72, which included seven birdies, four bogeys and a quadruple bogey eight and was a massive eight shots back in tied 24th position.
Leading second round scores 132 - Lu Wei-lan (TPE) 66-66; 133 - Marcus Both (AUS) 65-68; 134 - Jason Dawes (AUS) 67-67; 135 - Zheng Wen-gen (CHN) 65-70, Wang Ter-chang (TPE) 66-69, Terry Pilkadaris (AUS) 67-68, Jason Knutzon (USA) 67-68, Suk Jong-yol (KOR) 67-68; 137 - Jarrod Lyle (AUS) 67-70, Edward Loar (USA) 71-66, Kao Bo-song (TPE) 71-66; 138 - Anthony Kang (USA) 70-68, Harmeet Kahlon (IND) 71-67, Alejandro Quiroz (MEX) 70-68.
INDIAN SCORES: 139 - Arjun Singh 71-68 (tied 15th); 141 - Amandeep Johl 70-71, Uttam Singh Mundy 70-71 (both tied 28th); Rahil Gangjee (70, 72) tied 38th; Gurbaaz Mann (73, 70) tied 51st; Sandy Lehal (73, 71) tied 63rd.
Missed cut: Gaurav Ghei (71, 74), Shiv Kapur (71, 74); Digvijay Singh (74, 71); Mukesh Kumar (73, 75); Firoz Ali (72, 78) and Vivek Bhandari (74,78).
