Fifth Time's the Charm

Second Round – 5 January

Boulet, Park and Wong hold a share of the lead through two rounds of the tournament after an absorbing day of action, while Barr finds himself in solo fourth at level par, with Anthony Kang a further shot back at one-over.

Steven Lam added a 72 to his opening 71 to lie in a tie for seventh in his first tournament outing as a professional, while Shinichi Mizuno, who was also playing in his first event since turning the pro ranks, carded the day’s best round – a one-under 69 to move into a share of ninth.

Boulet, now a prominent television commentator after spending 13 years on the Asian Tour, wasn’t at his best during a two-over 72 over his home course on Thursday and continued to downplay his chances of winning a third HKPGA title.

“I hit it solidly early on but I really lost my swing on the back nine,” said Boulet, whose last victory came in 2004. “Tomorrow is another day and I’m looking forward to it. It’s still a lot of fun.”