No grid girls: World No. 3 Luke Donald of England itching for action despite the rain during the Maybank Malaysian Open at KLGCC yesterday. The golf star finally got his chance to start second round at 5.45pm. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star

ONE is Malaysia’s young amateur hotshot Gavin Kyle Green. The other is Italy’s young professional star Matteo Manassero.

Both are 19 years old and had brushed shoulders in the same flight of the Maybank Malaysian Open. Yesterday though, Gavin had his moment of glory when he went one better than Manassero by carding a fabulous four-under 68 for a two-day total of 141 to make the cut for the third round.

He is only the second local amateur to make the cut in the Malaysian Open after S. Siva Chandhran. Siva pulled it off in the 2003 edition, which was held at the Mines Golf and Country Club and finished 72nd.

The US-based Gavin’s brilliant round with birdies on the first, fifth, 10th, 13th and 17th yesterday, surely made up for his opening one-over 73. In fact, if not for a bogey 12th, Gavin would have been on equal standing with Manassero going into the third round.

Manassero, who is the youngest player to win the Malaysian Open in 2011, managed one-under 71 yesterday but it was still good enough to finish one stroke better than Gavin, at 140 with his two-day score of 69-71.

Gavin, who even did better than some of the local pros, was happy that he would be playing all four rounds of the home tournament for the first time.

This is only the second professional event that he made the cut after achieving a breakthrough at the Iskandar Golf Championships in Johor Baru last year.

“I played well - much better than my first round. I am getting more comfortable with the tricky course,” said a beaming Gavin, who finished regulation play just before the rain poured. “It was nice to play alongside Matteo in the last two days. It was a good experience.”

Now that he has made the cut, Gavin has set a tall order for himself.

“I want to do well and my target is to make the top 20 in this home tournament,” said Gavin, whose father Gary is his caddie.

Last year, Gavin did well in two amateur tournaments when he won the Malaysian Amateur Open at Glenmarie Golf and Country Club and the MPI-Saujana Amateur Championship at Palm Course.

Completed second round results

(76 players yet to complete round due to bad light)

135: Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 67-68, Wu Ashun (Chn) 67-68;

138: Scott Jamieson (Sco) 66-72, Liang Wen-chong (Tpe) 70-68, Lee Slattery (Eng) 68-70;

139: Prom Meesawat (Tha) 68-71, Rafa Cabrera-Bello (Spa) 72-67, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 69-70, Alastair Forsyth (Sco) 69-70, Joonas Granberg (Fin) 71-68;

140: Bernd Wiesberger (Aut) 71-69, Matteo Manassero (Ita) 69-71, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 70-70, Jean Gonnet (Fra) 70-70;

141: Gavin Green (Mas) 73-68, Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 69-72, Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 71-70, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 70-71;

142: Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 75-67, Robert Derksen (Ned) 72-70143: Mohd Siddikur (Ban) 71-72, Kim Gi-whan (Kor) 70-73, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 72-71, Thitiphun Chuayprakong (Tha) 72-71, Kim Gi-whan (Kor) 70-73;

144: Richard Green (Nzl) 74-70, Jbe Kruger (Rsa) 73-71, Scott Barr (Nzl) 75-69, Johan Edfors (Swe) 76-68, Baek Seuk-hyun (Kor) 72-72, Romain Wattel (Fra) 75-69;

145: Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind) 72-73, Joel Sjoholm (Swe) 74-71, Darren Beck (Nzl) 72-73, Sukree Othman (Mas) 73-72, Rikard Karlberg (Swe) 72-73, Darren Beck (Nzl) 72-73, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 71-74, Lorenzo Gagli (Ita) 76-69;

146: Tsai Chi-huang (Tpe) 74-72, Ricardo Gonzales (Arg) 70-76, Felipe Aguilar (Phi) 72-74, Richard Finch (Eng) 76-70;

147: Daisuke Kataoka (Jpn) 74-73, Nicholas Fung (Mas) 72-75, S. Siva Chandhran (Mas) 72-75, Kwanchai Tannin (Tha) 75-72, Simon Dyson (Eng) 75-72, Pariya Junhasavasdikul (Tha) 75-72;

148: Gregory Havret (Fra) 74-74, David Gleeson (Nzl) 75-73, Jonathan Moore (US) 75-73, Panuphol Pittayarat (Tha) 76-72;

149: S.S.P. Chowrasia (Ind) 77-72, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 73-76, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 73-76, Arie Ahmad Fauzi (Mas) 74-75;

150: Christian Cevaer (Fra) 75-75, Gerry Norquist (US) 75-75, Gareth Maybin (Nir) 77-73151: Chawalit Plaphol (Tha) 71-80, David Drysdale (Sco) 79-72, Benjamin Fox (US) 72-78, Kenneth De Silva (Mas) 74-77;

152: Robert Coles (Eng) 79-73, P. Gunasegaran (Mas) 77-75;

153: K.T. Lim (Kor) 78-75, Elmer Salvador (Phi) 75-78, Shingo Katayama (Jpn) 75-78;

154: Javi Colomo (Spa) 77-77155: Kalle Samooja (Fin) 76-79157: Himmat Rai (Ind) 76-81, Abel Tam (Mas) 76-81;

166: Afif Mohd (Mas) 83-83.

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