Malaysian Danny Chia fired a 5-under-par 67 to secure the early second round lead at the $2 million Maybank Malaysian Open golf tournament Friday at the Ross Watson-designed Kota Permai Golf and Country Club near Kuala Lumpur.

Chia, who ended in the fourth place on the first round, struggled with a double bogey on the 18th hole but managed to get a 12-under aggregate 132 to lead the second round as of 2 P.M. today. (Several golfers were still at the 4 hole as of this posting)

Overnight leader Nick Dougherty of England was even at the fourth hole with a 10-under aggregate. Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark finished the second round with an 11-under aggregate 133 to take the second spot.

Chia was the first Malaysian to win on the Asian Tour in 2002 but it failed to ignite his career which has been often up and down. Last year, he ended the year outside the top-60 of the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit despite signing off the year with a tied fifth finish at the Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open.          
 
The Malaysian is the first to admit that he gets in his own way in his search for greater rewards on the international fairways.
 
“It has been disappointing in the last two to three years. A lot of the stuff I was working on didn’t really pay off. But since I met my sports psychologist, things started to turn around and I know what I want. Now on the course, I know what I need to do,” he said.
 
“When you are that desperate, you would look at anything to help your game. I even looked on the internet and was thinking of flying to the United States to the look for a coach,” he said.
 
He conceded that competing in the Maybank Malaysian Open had its drawbacks as no Malaysian has won the title since the event was inaugurated in 1962.
 
“Most of the local players must feel the pressure. Every year it’s the same thing. Last night I found it hard to sleep as well. Every time I tried to sleep, I would think of the golf course. But it’s good as I’m excited about this event,” he said.
 
A solid driving display, where he missed only two fairways, paved the way for his birdie binge but Chia knows that he needs to remain on an even keel.
 
“I am not going to think too much about it. I am going to play my game and if I can do my best, I would hope to be under par and see what happens in the final round,” he said.