14 March 2013, Shenzhen, China (HK Golfer News Wire) - 17-year-old Ong from Singapore carded a level-par round of 72 on the Faldo Course to reach six under par and catch Cheng who bogeyed the last for a 73. Two shots behind the co-leaders are sixteen-year-olds Luo Xue-Wen from China and defending Faldo Series Europe Champion Jack Singh-Brar of England.
The largest-ever field for an Asia Grand Final finished the day at a long-game clinic with Sir Nick Faldo. 83 golfers from 17 countries are at Mission Hills to compete for the 2013 title.
Cheng from Taoyuan County is bidding to go one better than her compatriot and current ladies world number one Tseng Yani by not only claiming the girls’ title but by becoming the first female winner of a Faldo Series Grand Final.
Luo from Hainan is leading 16 Faldo Series competitors who also qualify to win the Mission Hills Trophy, awarded to the highest-placed Chinese golfer and won last year by Guangzhou’s Guan Tianlang. 14-year-old Guan was at Mission Hills this week to receive a Faldo Series Special Achievement Award from Faldo and spend time with the three-time Masters winner ahead of his debut at Augusta National next month.
Singh-Brar is hoping to become only the second person to win the Europe and Asia titles since Masamichi Ito of Japan in 2010. Ito won his third crown at Mission Hills last year before turning professional.
Leading round two scores:
Boys’ Under-21:
141 – Shohei Hasegawa (JPN) 66-75
142 – Fahmi Reza (INA) 72-70
143 – Robert Busher (ENG) 74-69
Boys’ Under-18:
138 – Marc Ong (SIN) 66-72
141 – Ewan Scott (SCO) 69-72, Joshua Gibbons (ENG) 67-74
Boys’ Under-16:
140 – Jack Singh-Brar (ENG) 70-70, Xue-Wen Luo (CHN) 72-68
142 – Sen Cao (CHN) 71-71
Girls’ Under-21:
148 – Chi Wang (TPE) 72-76, Marvi Monsalve (PHI) 77-71
153 – Zi-Yi Wang (CHN) 74-79, Isabella Leung (HKG) 76-77, Mai Arai (JPN) 77-76
Girls’ Under-16:
138 – Ssu-Chia Cheng (TPE) 65-73
144 – Clare Legaspi (PHI) 72-72
148 – Yu-Hsin Chang (TPE) 72-76