David Puig (Spain) and Jbe Kruger (RSA) were tied at the top of the leaderboard after two rounds on 11 under par, 129, in the $2 million International Series, Macau presented by Wynn.
Being held at Macau Golf and Country Club on the Asian Tour it is the fourth Order of Merit event of the season, and the second International Series event of 2024.
Twenty-two-year-old Puig shot a second-round 64 with Kruger a tied best of the week 63.
Kruger, 37, said it was his putter that kept him going bogey-free. “I’m making putts, that’s as much as I can say. I’m not really hitting many fairways. But when it’s on the green, I’m making them,” he said.
One of 19 LIV golfers in the event, Puig, who is playing for a fourth straight week and finished birdie-birdie, said” “I guess playing a lot in a row helps just to score better. “So hopefully I can keep doing the same this weekend and take the trophy home.”
The leaders are one ahead of LIV’s Mito Pereira (Chile), who is chasing a win that could help propel him to the 2024 Olympics.
Pereira followed his first-round 64 with a 66 to move to 10 under par, in a share of third place with Sweden’s Bjorn Hellgren on a packed leaderboard.
The cut fell at four under par, leaving the whole field separated by only seven shots going into the weekend.
Pereira is currently 41st on the Olympic Golf Rankings (OGR), with the top 60 making it to the Paris Games.
Also in the hunt is Carlos Ortiz, another LIV player, who is two off the leaders as he chases a berth in Paris.
The Mexican won the first Asian Tour International Series event in Oman three weeks ago and had a 66 on Friday that took him to nine under par.
Also on nine under alongside Ortiz are Japan’s Yuta Sugiura and another LIV player, American Pat Perez, who both had three under 67’s.
The first-round leader, Li Haotong of China, had a wild day and finished with a 72 that featured a quadruple bogey eight, two sixes and five birdies as he dropped back to five under for the tournament.
Dubai-based Shiv Kapur (Ind) shot a second-round five-under-par 65 to go with his first-round 70 to be in tied 42nd place.
Shiv told Khaleej Times after his round: “(I) Kept the mistakes off the card. I have been a bit rusty getting back to competitive golf, but slowly I am finding my groove back.
“The weather has been overcast and breezy so far this week. The golf course presents a lot of birdie opportunities, but, as I said, mistakes can be severely punished.”
Leading scores
Second Round (6,637 Yards, Par 70).
Puig (Spain) 65. 64. 129.
Jbe Kruger (RSA) 66. 63. 129.
Hellgren (Swe) 65. 65. 130.
Pereira (Chile) 64. 66. 130.