Saudi International: Cheung holds his nerve to make cut, as Ancer keeps narrow lead in Asian Tour

But a bogey at the par-4 sixth created some nervous moments coming home, and another at the ninth meant that he just made it.

“I knew what I needed to do as they had scoreboards on our back nine and I didn’t think it was going to move [from level par],” he said.

“It got quite windy for us on the last seven or eight holes, so it got really difficult, so was just kind of holding on for dear life, honestly.”

At the top of the leader board, Abraham Ancer’s 66 left him at 11-under after 36 holes, a stroke ahead of playing partner Cameron Young, and three clear of Sadom Kaewkanjana, Marc Leishman and Louis Oosthuizen.

Defending champion Harold Varner III from the United States also made a strong move carding a 66 to jump up into a tie for 11th, six shots behind the leader.

China’s Ding Wenyi will also play this weekend after shooting a 66 to reach four-under at the halfway stage, well within the cut line.

Before the first round, Ding said he had spent plenty of time over the past six weeks practising “a lot trying to get a better score for this tournament”.

The teenager is getting a second chance to make a first impression at the Asian Tour’s flagship event, which he qualified for last year but missed because of the quarantine rules in place.

There were some big names who did not make the cut, with Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson and Bryson DeChambeau among the most recognisable of that group.

Playing his first tournament for eight months, Watson carded a four-under 66 in his second round, but that wasn’t enough to undo the damage of the first day and he finished a two-over.

DeChambeau, meanwhile, was never in the hunt and his 75 on Friday left him seven-over for the tournament.

As has been the case for most playing this week it’s the first event of the year, and for Brooks Koepka it’s been about “knocking the rust off”.

He certainly did that during his second round, and his approach to 18, where he hit a 7-iron out of a fairway bunker from 228 yards out to set up a short putt for eagle hinted at the kind of form that has seen him win four majors.

Koepka is no stranger to the 18th at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, having played it three times in a play-off with Peter Uihlein at last October’s LIV event.

Not all the rust has gone though, with Koepka missing the eagle putt on his way to signing for a three-under 67 that left him at four-under overall.

The self-confessed slow starter has said he needs about 17 rounds ahead of the year’s first major at Augusta, which is why he is playing this week and then at the first International Series stop in Oman next week, before the 2023 LIV schedule begins in Mexico at the end of the month.

Still, despite the extended winter break he has been able to take this season, the double US Open champion said his preparations for the year and his focus had not really changed.

“It’s not really different, I’m just trying to play,” he said. “I usually get off to a slow start and need some rounds, and I don’t really get going to feeling like I’m clicking on all cylinders until March, so it’s about getting some rounds under my belt.

“That’s what this is for, that’s what next week is for and [with LIV] that’s about 17 rounds before Augusta, which is about right. I’m just trying to play my way into a rhythm. You’re still playing, it’s the same thing, nothing’s changed, you’re still planning your whole year around the majors and just trying to make sure your playing well for those.”

Elsewhere, junior national team member Isaac Lee rode a six-under-par 64 to a two-stroke victory in the 2023 Fanling Trophy at the Hong Kong Golf Club on Friday, finishing the tournament on four-under.

The 17-year-old amateur eagled the par-5 first on the Eden Course to make his intentions clear, then racked up four birdies on the back nine to beat pro Sam Maltby into second on two-under 138, with two more rising stars in Arianna Lau and Isaac Lam sharing third at one-under.

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