MANILA - South Africa's Jbe Kruger finally found some form as he hit a brilliant seven-under-par 65 in windy conditions to share a three-way lead at the Manila Masters on Friday.
Jbe Kruger of South Africa (right) looks on with his caddy during the second round of the Resort World Manila Masters at the Manila Southwood Golf & Country Club in Manila on November 20, 2015
Kruger, down to 500th in the world rankings after only one top-10 finish all year, produced the second round's lowest score to be tied with Taiwan's Hung Chien-yao and Lee Chieh-po.
"It's fun to finally make some putts. I'm happy. I think I like to play in the wind. I've always liked it. Just need to get the putter going a bit more," said the 29-year-old.
"I didn't do anything different with my putting. I wasn't hitting it to the hole, lagging a bit. So I was just trying to hit it a bit harder. It's been a long time since I've been in contention. I've been hitting it well and I just need to make a few more putts."
Lee carded an eagle and five birdies for six-under 66 at par-72 Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club, while Hung's blemish-free 67 included a 15-yard chip-in on the par-three third.
Overnight leader Nicholas Fung was a shot further back in tied fourth alongside Philippines local hero Rufino Bayron.
Leading scores (par-72):
134 - Hung Chien-yao (TPE) 67-67, Lee Chieh-po (TPE) 68-66, Jbe Kruger (RSA) 69-65
135 - Nicholas Fung (MAS) 66-69, Rufino Bayron (PHI) 69-66
136 - Akinori Tani (JPN) 69-67, Tirawat Kaewsiribandit (THA) 69-67, Adam Groom (AUS) 69-67
137 - Paul Peterson (USA) 70-67