Bandar Seri Begawan: Thailand's Tawit Polthai produced a brilliant six-under-par 64 to charge into the lead at the halfway stage of the Butra Heidelberg Cement Brunei Championships yesterday.
The 25-year-old Thai, who started the round in tied third, stayed blemish-free to hold a three-shot advantage over American Austen Truslow (67) in second place with his two-day total of 11-under 129 at the US$75,000 event.
Defending champion, Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat, was forced to withdraw after three holes as a precaution due to an ongoing knee injury.
Overnight leader Itthipat Buranatanyarat of Thailand (71) and countryman Prom Meesawat (68) were among six players bunched in tied-third at The Empire Hotel and Country Club.
Tawit enjoyed a solid ball-striking day, missing only two greens in regulation in his flawless round highlighted by six birdies.
"My putting was good today and I was striking my irons well. I made 16 greens today and most of my birdie putts were inside 15-feet. I had a good start which boosted my confidence, and I was just having fun and playing my own game all day," said Tawit, who hails from Chanthaburi.
The Thai, who last won on his local circuit in 2013, will employ the same carefree mindset in his bid for a breakthrough victory on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
"The wind started to pick up in the second nine and I had to hit lower shots into the wind. But I still managed to stay out of trouble and come back bogey-free. I just want to have fun the next two days and see where that takes me," added Tawit.
Truslow struggled with a slow start, dropping his first shot of the day on hole eight after missing a five-footer for par. He kept to his game plan to bounce back with four birdies in his back nine to move into contention.
The halfway cut was set at one-over-par 141 with 50 players advancing to the final two rounds.