PHL bet Murakami shares midway lead at Impian Classic

Things are looking bright for Artemio Murakami as he shared the midway lead with India's Himmat Rai in the $67,000 Impian Classic at the Impian Golf and Country Club in Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia. Murakami made a five-under-par 67 to follow up his opening day 65 for a 132 to grab a piece of the No. 1 spot with erstwhile frontrunner Rai, who made a four-under-par 68. "My putting was solid and I'm still hitting the ball nicely. My chipping didn't quite work as I didn't get up and down on the par five third hole (for birdie) and then I bogeyed my last (the ninth) after chunking my approach," said Murakami. This is a good tune-up for Murakami in time for next week's 95th ICTSI-Philippine Open at Wack Wack. A consecutive victory is in the midst, if he can sustain this kind of game from May 12 to 15. "My aim is still next week, not this week. But winning a golf tournament is a great achievement for anybody. I'm looking forward to the weekend. I'm hitting it so good and the putts are going in," added Murakami, who rolled 20-footer birdie putts on the fourth and sixth holes. Rai was extremely happy with his first 36 holes. He shot a sizzling eight-under 64 late Thursday. "It's definitely hard to get the same level of adrenaline going more than anything (after a 64). But once you settle in, there’s no reason why you can't keep playing well. I've been keeping the ball in play and giving myself good looks at birdies," said the 23-year-old Indian, who mixed six birdies and two bogeys. He's also delighted to see Murakami doing good in the Asian Tour. If there's one person who knows the Filipino, it has got to be the Indian star. "I've played a few rounds with Artemio on Tour previously, even during our amateur days. He's got a solid game and it should be fun playing with him," Rai said. - Adrian Flores, JVP, GMA News