SINGAPORE -- Panuphol Pittayarat of Thailand birdied two of his last three holes to maintain a one-stroke lead after the second round of The Championship at Laguna National on Friday.
Randy Johnson Jersey . Panuphol, the overnight leader, shot a 4-under 68 for a two-round total of 13-under 131, a stroke ahead of Scott Hend of Australia, David Lipsky of the United States, and Felipe Aguilar of Chile in a tie for second place. The Thai, ranked 451st in the world, has never won on the European Tour and missed his last three cuts this year on the Asian Tour. "The two birdies in my last three holes were nice to end off my round," he said. "Its nice to be putting myself in a good position heading into the last two rounds. I would rather stay up there than to be chasing the lead actually. I just want to grab my chance and not let it go." Hend had eight birdies and just one bogey to shoot a 7-under 65, the low round of the day. The Australian, whos also looking for his first European Tour title, said it was difficult to stay focused in the hot, humid conditions at Singapores Laguna National golf course. "I am used to this kind of weather but it still comes to a point where your body just cannot take it and it makes you lose concentration," he said. "Im managing well so far. Two more rounds to go and we will see what happens." Aguilar, playing with a sore wrist after a recent mountain biking accident, birdied his last three holes to card a 67. "(The wrist) doesnt bother me much, but I still have pain. It will be there for the next four or five months," he said. "Everything you do is dangerous so you have to be careful, but Im playing good golf because Im happy, and so the mountain biking helps." Anders Hansen is also returning from a wrist injury that required surgery and kept him off the tour for six months last year. He missed the cut at his first two events this year, but finished in a tie for fifth last week at the China Open. The Danish golfer shot a 66 on Friday to move into a share of fifth place at 11 under, two strokes off the pace. He dropped a stroke on his final hole when he three-putted for bogey. "Its always hard coming back after an injury," he said. "Ive never had six months off before so I didnt know what to expect. It was tough the first four rounds I played, the first two in Spain and Malaysia, but then last week something kicked in and it has carried on this week."
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Mark Langston Mariners Jersey . Marek Hamsik, who had earlier missed a penalty, headed Napoli in front in the 23rd minute and Pandev added a second goal five minutes from halftime. Alessandro Matri got Juventus back into the game just after the break but Pandev was on hand to score again in the 68th.Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Rodney Stuckey scored a game-high 22 points, Roy Hibbert recorded a double-double, and the Indiana Pacers cruised past the New York Knicks 103-82 on Thursday. Hibbert totaled 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers, who snapped their three-game home losing streak by dominating the second and third quarters. Solomon Hill and David West each scored 10 points for an offense that connected on 53 percent of their shots and owned a 50-26 edge in the paint. Not even a surprise start by Carmelo Anthony could keep the Knicks close. The All-Star forward was questionable on the second game of a back-to-back and finished with 18 points, but New Yorks defense did not duplicate its efforts over the past two weeks. We ran out of gas, to be honest, Anthony admitted. It was one of those nights where we took a step backwards. During a five-game stretch that saw them go 4-1, the Knicks allowed just 91.4 points per game -- more than 10 points fewer than their season average. They reverted back to their sieve-like ways against the Pacers, who scored 67 points during the second and third quarters on 63 percent shooting. The Knicks actually led by 11 early on, and Anthonys 12 first-quarter points carried them to a 29-22 lead at the end of the frame.
Austin Nola Mariners Jersey. Indiana began its turnaround midway through the second with a 12-2 run that Hibbert capped with a putback dunk. The slam gave the hosts a 48-41 lead, and it was a 54-49 difference in the Pacers favor at the break. Hibbert scored on four of the first five possessions in the third quarter, then started a 10-0 run with a layup. C.J. Watson and Stuckey each hit from long range during the surge, which ended with the Pacers ahead 76-56. Three more 3-pointers -- two from Hill -- fueled a 12-0 run that made it a 30- point game, and the Knicks were able to rest Anthony in the fourth with no chance at making a comeback. Every game is important for us from here on out. ... Our goal is to make the playoffs, and were right there, said Stuckey, whose team is currently 12th in the Eastern Conference. Game Notes Luis Scola was given a night off for the Pacers, ending his consecutive games played streak at 277, which was the second-longest active streak in the NBA ... Lou Amundson scored 17 points for New York, which is a league-worst 1-11 on the second game of a back-to-back ... Including the playoffs, the Knicks are winless in eight straight trips to Indianapolis. ' ' '