Golf: Søren Hansen keeps cool in heat of Malaysia

DANE Søren Hansen joined Angelo Que in a share of the clubhouse lead midway through the second round of the Maybank Malaysian Open at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club.

Hansen and Que joined overnight leaders Rhys Davies and Ignacio Garrido at seven under par after posting second rounds of five-under par 67 in the energy-sapping humidity.

Like Hansen and Que, Australia's Brett Rumford dropped just one shot in his 67 to improve to six under par with Chapchai Nirat the only other morning starter to make an impact at the top of the leaderboard with a 70 pushing the big-hitting Thai to five under.

"The heat is the hardest battle for us Europeans this week," said world No.50 Hansen. "But I like the golf course, it is a good looking one so we will see what happens over the weekend."

India's Jyoti Randhawa and Argentina's Rafa Echenique were both forced to withdraw from the tournament before the start of the second round due to the effects of the humidity.

After posting a first-round 70, Hansen started on the tougher back nine of the West Course and patiently played his opening nine holes in one under par after a superb four iron approach into par three 11th.

The two-time winner then took advantage of the scoring-friendly front nine as Hansen charged up the leaderboard by picking up four shots in three holes capped by an eagle conversion at the par five fifth after flicking a nine iron downwind from 166 yards to ten feet. A first dropped shot of the day arrived a hole later, but the 35-year-old Monte Carlo resident completed a crucial five hole spell with a fourth birdie of the day.

Bathgate's Stephen Gallacher was nicely placed on three under after a second-round 69 while Dunbar's David Drysdale – one of the later starters - was sitting on level par.

Alongside Gallacher on the leaderboard, Peter Lawrie rescued a level-par 72 second round to remain at three under par overall despite shipping a disastrous quintuple bogey ten at the par five fifth.

• CRAIGIELAW'S Grant Forrest was to the fore as Scotland made a winning start to the Boys' Quadrangular championship at the Chiberta club in France yesterday.

Forrest pitched in with two wins as Stuart Wilson's side eased to an impressive 6-2 triumph over defending champions Sweden. In the day's other fixture, Italy beat host nation France 5-3.