Khalin slips to seventh, stays in race at Taifong

Khalin Joshi salvaged his second-round right at the end with a birdie-birdie finish for a round of one-over 73 on the second day of Taifong Open here today.
Joshi, who shared the lead on the opening day, slipped down the leaderboard to tied seventh place at five-under 137 after 36 holes.
Meanwhile, the other two Indians Himmat Rai (72-74) and Feroze Garewal (75-78) missed the halfway cut.
Joshi bogeyed first, fourth and 10th and was still three-over when birdied last two holes for a decent finish and keep himself in the race for the title.
Jordan Sherratt of Australia birdied his closing two holes for a five-under-par 67 to seize a two-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Taifong Open on Friday.

The 27-year-old, who is chasing for a first career title, soared to the top of the leaderboard on nine-under-par 135 at the USD 160,000 Asian Development Tour (ADT) event.

Local teenager Lee Chieh-po fired a 68 to share second place alongside countryman Lin Wen-tang (70), a six-time Asian Tour winner, and Thailand's Pijit Petchkasem (67) at the Taifong Golf Club.
Playing in his second year at the Taifong Open, Sherratt took advantage of his familiarity on the course as he put himself in prime position to challenge for the title. He was two-under for the day after 11 holes but shifted into fifth gear when he birdied 11, 12, 17 and 18.

The halfway cut was set at one-over-par 145 with a total of 58 players qualifying for the weekend rounds. Since it was inaugurated in 2010, the ADT has grown from five events in the first year to a record 21 tournaments in 2014.
The ADT has announced a provisional 2015 schedule of a minimum 24 tournaments with several more to be announced in due course.