Okinawa: Shiv Kapur exploded with a brilliant card of six-under 65 at the par-71 Naha Golf Club in the $830,000 Asia-Okinawa Open. His round of 65 made up for his first round of 72 and took him to five-under 137, thus placing him tied seventh. That puts him just two shots behind the leaders, enabling him to make a bid for a good finish.

“I putted well and needed just 25 putts for the round,” said Kapur, who had five top-10 finishes besides a win last year in the Asian Tour.

Kapur, starting on the 10th tee, had birdies on 10th, 11th and 18th but also a bogey on the 13th in his first nine. On the back nine, he had four birdies on first, second, fourth and sixth, and no bogeys for 65.

“My only bogey was the result of a three-putt on the 11th, otherwise I had a great day with the putter,” added Kapur, who was fourth on the Asian Tour in 2005 and is playing a pro event in Japan for the first time.

The lead was shared by three players ? Yasuharu Imano (64), Kiyoshi Miyazoto (67) and Kaname Yokoo (70), all of whom were at seven-under 135 after two rounds.

Thaworn Wiratchant, winner of the Asian Tour Order of Merit for 2005, Chad Campbell and Ryuchi Oda were second at six-under.

Kapur was tied seventh with Marcus Both, overnight joint leader Dinesh Chand and Hiroyuki Fujita, all of whom were at five-under 137.