Thailand Golf Championship: Tommy Fleetwood leads after another day of tough scoring

Tommy Fleetwood defied blustery conditions and the tough course set-up at Amata Spring to claim the halfway lead at the Thailand Golf Championship.

The rising English talent was one of only four players to break 70 on the second day as a solid three-under 69 earned him a one-shot lead over Lee Westwood and Marcus Fraser.

Fleetwood played a faultless back nine after teeing off at the 10th and he did well to protect his score over a daunting outward half that claimed several victims, with no fewer than 50 double-bogeys or worse contributing to the high scoring.

The 23-year-old made confident birdies at the par-five 11th and 15th holes, and he converted an excellent tee-shot at the short 17th to turn in 33 blows.

Missing the fairways here is like having a one-shot penalty

He followed three pars with his only blemish of the day at the fourth, but he responded with another birdie at the long seventh and parred in to stay at four under par.

"My game felt good," said Fleetwood, who has yet to add to his maiden European Tour victory at the Johnnie Walker Championship in 2013.

"I played really well and had only three or four bad shots, which is what you need in these windy conditions, and missing the fairways is like having a one-shot penalty."

Fleetwood's 36-hole target of 140 proved enough to give him the outright lead heading into the weekend as Westwood bogeyed the ninth - his final hole - to slip into a share of second with Australian Fraser.

Westwood was one over after seven holes before getting under the card with birdies at 17 and 18, but he gave both shots back at the third and the fifth before staging a strong finish as he reeled off three consecutive birdies to reach four under overall.

But the Ryder Cup star's error at the ninth closed out a one-under 71, while Fraser battled his way to a 72 which featured 15 pars, two birdies and one double-bogey at the third.

Brutal

"I played very well again today. It's tricky out there, the wind was stronger than in the first round and the rough is brutal. But all in all it was a good round and puts me in a good position for the weekend."

Thailand's Tirawat Kaewsiribandit is a stroke further back after offsetting four birdies with as many bogeys, while unheralded American Jonathan Moore shares fourth on two under par after an erratic 71.

Local hero Thongchai Jaidee was three under for the day, and the tournament, before he double-bogeyed the eighth to drop into a tie for sixth with Paul Peterson and US Open champion Martin Kaymer.

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The German got some momentum going when he started the back nine with back-to-back birdies, but he dropped two shots over the last five holes to return a 72 as only eight of the 122 players left in the event got to the halfway stage under par.

Masters champion Bubba Watson clawed his way up the leaderboard as he carded six birdies in a two-under 70 that got him to two over par alongside defending champion Sergio Garcia, who double-bogeyed the fourth and ran up a six at the 18th in a disappointing 75.

But former Open champion Darren Clarke (75) failed to make the weekend at six over, while French star Victor Dubuisson crashed out of the tournament after blotting his card with three sevens, including two in his last three holes as a 79 sent him plummeting to 10 over.

Watch the third round of the Thailand Golf Championship live on Sky Sports 4 from 6am on Saturday.