HONG KONG, December 2, 2011 (AFP) - Juvic Pagunsan of the Philippines edged closer to the Asian Order of Merit title at the UBS Hong Kong Open on Friday after his chief rival S.S.P. Chowrasia missed the cut.
Pagunsan was leading the Indian golfer by just over $288,000 coming in to the event, where a decent finish will put him beyond reach.
He goes into the final two rounds in Hong Kong on two-under par, five strokes behind co-leaders Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Alvaro Quiros of Spain.
"There can still be someone who can come into the picture for the Order of Merit," said the 33-year-old.
"I still need to play well. I'm still there and I will keep trying to move up."
With the cut set at two-over, Chowrasia's two-round total of five-over 145 was not good enough to see him continue into the weekend.
But with $2.75 million in total prize money up for grabs, there is still a remote possibility that Pagunsan can be caught, with the season-ending Thai Golf Championship starting on December 15.
Chowrasia, 33, blamed his disappointing performance on his driving.
"Today I made a few mistakes and it's the end of my chance," he said.
Pagunsan leapt to the lead in the Asian Order of Merit rankings after collecting $660,660 for second place at the Singapore Open last month.