Jbe’ Kruger fired a seven-under-par 63 on Friday to take a share of the halfway lead after the second round of the Asian Tours International Series Macao presented by Wynn at Macau Golf and Country Club.
His bogey-free round with seven birdies took him to 11-under-par together with Spain’s David Puig, winner of the season-opening IRS Malaysian Open and arguably the hottest property on the Asian Tour at the moment, who shot a six-under-par 64. Sweden’s Bjorn Hellgren and Mito Pereira from Chile are one shot back, after rounds of 65 and 66 respectively.
Kruger is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour – his most recent being the Shinhan Donghae Open in 2019 – and based on his second-round performance in Macao, he is hungry for a third.
“I’m making putts, that’s as much as I can say,” said Kruger, who also won the Shigeo Nagashima Invitational Sega Sammy Cup on the Japan Tour last July.
“I’m not really hitting many fairways. I’m hitting the greens but I’m not getting it in the fairway and that makes life difficult for me actually. But when it’s on the green, I’m making them.
“I’ve always liked this course. You know it’s actually short, but it’s difficult with the wind. I told my wife Denise [who is on the bag for him] it’s very funny not to have that much wind, because we are so used to hitting the same shots over and over. And today there was almost no breeze at the end there which was lovely.”
Jaco Ahlers, one of four other South Africans in the field, made the cut on the number at four-under-par in a share of 60th with, among others, Kieran Vincent of Zimbabwe.
Neil Schietekat, Ian Snyman and Justin Harding all missed out on making the weekend action.
