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Australian Windred has 1-stroke lead at Asia-Pacific Amateur

Published Sep. 27, 2019 4:00 a.m. ET

SHANGHAI (AP) — Blake Windred's second round was eight strokes worse than his first, but the 21-year-old Australian still held a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the Asia Pacific Amateur.

Windred shot 1-under 71 Friday following his opening 63 for a two-round total of 10-under 134 at Sheshan International Golf Club.

Jun Min Lee of South Korea, who plays U.S. collegiate golf at Texas A&M, had a bogey-free 67, and was in second place, tied with Japan's Ren Yonezawa, who also shot 67, the best rounds of the day.

China's Liu Kaiwen was in fourth after his second consecutive 69, four strokes behind Windred.

"The wind often meant a half a club difference in your shots, and then it would die and you weren't sure where it was going," Lee said. "I think I coped pretty well."

Leading by two strokes after his first round, Windred, starting on the back nine, had four bogeys on Friday but again finished strongly to birdie his final two holes. On Thursday, he birdied his final four.

"That's the most pleasing thing about today," Windred said, "Hopefully that was my bad round and I ground it out quite well, so it's not really that bad. I'm still moving forward.

"The goal was basically shooting 5-under every round. So, I have a bit of work to do over the weekend, but so far, I'm on track."

Windred had bogeys on 11 and 15 to slip back to 8-under after nine holes. He dropped another shot at the par-4 first hole but had a pair of birdies to get him back level on the day.

"Morning is just a little bit of different with a little bit of that fog or whatever, but there was initially a little bit of a difference," Windred said. "I prefer the afternoon, so the back nine I felt a little more comfortable with my numbers."

He had a three-putt bogey from below the hole on the par-3 fourth and then made a par save from a near-impossible stance next to a bunker on the seventh.

Windred hit a draw off the tee over the trees on the par-5 eighth, his second-last of the day. After laying up, he birdied it from below the hole. On the ninth, his 15-foot putt hung on the edge but fell into the hole.

Imran Ali, the first player from Afghanistan to compete in the tournament, had an opening-round 96 and missed the cut. The tournament website said that Ali practices on the only golf course in his war-affected country — a nine-hole layout — but that he was working with authorities to open the first driving range.

Tonny Ramo of the Soloman Islands had rounds of 99-100 to finish 55 shots over par and in last place of the 120 players.

The winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur receives an invitation to compete in next year's Masters at Augusta and the British Open, while the runner-up or other second-place finishers gets a place in final qualifying for the British Open.

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