Date: October 25, 2013
Author: Omnisport

Bradley surges clear in Kuala Lumpur

American Keegan Bradley took the lead heading into the weekend of the CIMB Classic with an impressive 66 on Friday, while Australia&aposs Marc Leishman catapulted into contention thanks to a stunning second round. Bradley showcased his incredibly consistent game to claim the advantage at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, with his six-under second round leaving previous leader Ryan Moore four shots behind. The 27-year-old who is yet to win a title on the PGA tour this year kept himself in contention for the elusive honour by kicking off Friday&aposs round with five birdies on the first nine holes. He replicated the effort after the turn too, with a bogey on the 13th made up by two successful birdie attempts at the 10th and 16th to ensure he finished the round on a high. It is clear the Malaysian course suits Bradley well, with the big driver now having hit 24 of 28 fairways in his opening two rounds and picking up shots on 14 off the opening 36 holes. Things did not go quite so well for first-round leader Moore on Friday though, with the 30-year-old notching up three bogeys on course to his par 72. Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat and American Chris Stroud, both on eight-under, also failed to match Bradley&aposs impressive efforts with the pair carding 69&aposs to leave them five shots off the pace going into the weekend. However, the day&aposs best performance belonged to Leishman, who carded a round of 65 to be tied with Spaniard Sergio Garcia (71) at seven-under for the tournament. Leishman sunk eight birdies and an eagle as he rose 25 positions, two shots clear of compatriot Wade Ormsby, who shot three-under 69. Aaron Baddeley is the next-best out of the Australian contingent after shooting a 67 to be tied for 18th alongside Americans Josh Teater (66), Jerry Kelly (69), Jeff Overton (67), Kyle Stanley (67), Kevin Stadler (69) and Nicholas Thompson (71). Australian Matt Jones (71) is further down the leaderboard at even par, while counterpart Scott Hend (72) is two over in Kuala Lumpur.