Raj-Madappa drop to third spot in Taiwan amateur golf

The Indian team of Aman Raj and Viraj Madappa slipped to the third spot after returning with a total of one-under 143 after the second round of the Taiwan Amateur Golf Championship here on Wednesday.

Raj, current leader of the Indian Golf Union's Men Order of Merit, scored one-under 71 while Madappa carded level-par 72 that took the total to three-under 285 at the Sunrise Golf & Country Club.

Madappa who was a joint leader in the individual category on Tuesday, also slipped to tied fourth after the end of round two.

The day belonged to Thailand's Sangchai Kaewchareon, who fired six-under 66 that took the Thai team to the top spot with a two-day total of seven-under 281. Sangchai's partner Sadom Kaewkanjana again shot a 70, and moved to number one spot in the individual ranking with a 36-hole total of four-under 140.

Kolkata's Madappa visibly disappointed with Wednesday's performance. "I was all over the place today. I didn't hit the ball well. Although I chopped and putted well, but I didn't drive well on the back nine.

"I started off well scoring a birdie at the sixth hole, but consecutive bogeys on 11th and 12th derailed me a bit. I tried to recover and hit a birdie on the 14th but hit another bogey at 17th. Thankfully, I finished with a birdie on the 18th and managed to scrape through with a level-par score."

Patna's Raj said: "I had a three-putt on 12th for a bogey and then one more on 15th. Unfortunately, I couldn't hit any birdie at the back nine which was my front nine as I teed off from 10th.

"But I recovered on the second half shooting bogey-free three-under. My game is in good shape but I just need to concentrate a lot more tomorrow to score well and to return to the lead."