Whiteford holds off Prom charge

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Thailand\'s Prom Meesawat, thriving in the chilly conditions, was the biggest mover of Friday\'s second round at the Avantha Masters with a flawless eight-under-par 64.
It didn\'t give him the 36-hole lead in the clubhouse at the DLF Golf and Country Club in New Delhi - that was secured by Peter Whiteford of Scotland, who held on to his overnight lead withMizuno MP-59 Iron Set
that took his 36-hole total to a 1-under 134 and put him two shots clear of Prom.
This while the second of the two joint overnight leaders, Alejandro Canizares, tumbled down into the pack when he could only follow his opening 66 with a second round 1-over 73 that dumped him into joint 16th place at 5-under.
Prom\'s heroics, on the other hand, hoisted him into second place, a shot clear of Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (69) and fellow Thais Chapchai Nirat (67) and Kradech Aphibarnrat (69) and Australian Kieran Pratt (66) and certainly gave warning that Prom is on the charge and looking dangerous in weather that seems to suit him better than most.
For while others were trying to keep themselves warm on a chilly morning when the temperature dipped to a low of 11 degrees Celsius at one point, Prom took advantage of the cold to storm up the leaderboard with eight sizzling birdies.
\"Everything is going well and it\'s good. It was very cold playing the first three holes byMizuno MP-59 Iron Set
but it got better when the sun came up and that\'s when I took off my jumper.
\"I like the cold better than the hot and humid weather as I tend to perspire a lot,\" said Prom, who is seeking his first European Tour victory and second on the Asian Tour.
Pro also suggested that regular visits to his local gym might also have something to do with this super hot form of Friday.Mizuno MP-59 Iron Set
\"I\'ve been working very hard in the off season by going to the gym. People said that I\'ve lost weight but I don\'t think so. I still weight the same and I think I\'ve bulked up a lot because of my muscles. I\'m getting stronger and more consistent,\" he explained.
Whiteford, meanwhile, found the cold hard to get used to at the start of his round, but said that an eagle-three on the sixth hole had sparked a new resolve, given him back his self-confidence and enabled him to retain pole position in an event being tri-sanctioned by the European, the Asian and PGTI Tours.
\"It was freezing cold this morning and in those conditions I find golf a lot harder. But once it warmed up I started to playMizuno MP-59 Iron Set
a bit better and gave myself a few chances,\" said Whiteford.
\"I had a good eagle on the sixth which kick-started me a bit and helped me finish better although I must admit I was disappointed not to finish with a birdie, the Scot added.
Thongchai Jaidee, the most respected Thai in the field, battled some for his 70 to remain in contention in a 4th-place tie with, among others, Welshman Jamie Donaldson, Dane Soren Hansen and Frenchman Gregory Havret, as he mixed five birdies with two bogeys to stay in touch with the leaders.
\"I didn\'t play Mizuno MP-59 Iron Set
as well as I did yesterday,\" the 13-time Asian Tour winner said afterwards, \"but overall it has been a good day considering the morning conditions that we had to playMizuno MP-59 Iron Set
in.
\"It was freezing. I only managed to warm up by the seventh hole and that\'s when I got into my rhythm. I had five birdies and three bogeys which was not too bad.
In his third withdrawal this year, two-time Major winner John Daly also pulled out of the Avantha Masters, this time saying he was doing it because if a painful elbow injury.