SINGAPORE — Inclement weather may have cast a pall over the second day of action at the SMBC Singapore Open, but South Korea’s Song Young Han still managed to light up the Serapong Course in Sentosa yesterday, putting on a masterful display to go two strokes clear at the top of the leaderboard.

Having only managed to card a one-under-par 70 on the opening day of the tournament on Thursday, the 24-year-old escaped the glare of the fan and media spotlight when he teed-off yesterday morning along with Japan’s Yosuke Tsukada and Australia’s Sam Brazel.

But the South Korean soon found himself the centre of attention as he flew out of the blocks, carding an incredible six-under in the first nine holes with four birdies and an eagle to overtake overnight leader Keith Horne.

Song went on to sink another three birdies in the next nine holes — his otherwise perfect day was blemished by a bogey on the 12th — to finish day two as the clubhouse leader on nine-under-par 133.

In addition, Song’s score of eight-under-par 63 also equalled the lowest 18-hole score over one round at the Serapong course — both Argentine Angel Cabrera and South African George Coetzee had achieved a similar score on this course while playing in the Singapore Open in 2007 and 2012 respectively.

“It was a superb round,” Song, who has yet to taste victory in a professional tournament, said via a translator. “The course is difficult, long, and tight, and the green is hard, but I managed it well. My goal is to win this tournament and, for now, I just want to take a good rest before I come back again and hopefully play as well as I did today.”

Hot on the heels of Song are compatriot An Byeong Hun and Japan’s Shintaro Kobayashi, both of whom are two strokes behind on seven-under. World No 26 An, however, has yet to complete round two — he has only played seven holes so far — after the afternoon session was cancelled due to inclement weather.

Kobayashi, who carded a two-under 69 yesterday, said: “It’s a good position for me to be in now. I’m not at the top, so I don’t have to be too nervous. I’ll practise to prepare for the third round, make a little adjustment to my shot, and hope that will help me tomorrow.”

In contrast to both Song and Kobayashi’s upbeat mood, world No 1 Jordan Spieth — who finished round one on four-under-par 67 — cut a frustrated figure on the course as his uncharacteristically sloppy putting saw him fail to make any headway on the leaderboard after carding an even-par 71 in the first six holes of the second round.

The 22-year-old, who will complete his remaining holes along with 77 other players this morning, recorded his first bogey in the tournament on the fifth hole, while also narrowly missing making birdies on hole four and six.

“I didn’t get off to a great start but made a good birdie on hole two,” said reigning Masters and US Open champion Spieth. “I had a couple of bad putts, including missing a short one on hole four. I got a bit unlucky on the seventh hole, because I had a perfect distance to the hole, the par five, but just when I hit my second (shot) the wind changed.

“So my ball came up just short of the green and, when I went to play my putt, that’s when the rain came in hard — almost horizontally — and my putt came up seven feet short. But that’s golf, that’s weather. You can’t control that.” NOAH TAN