Lopez-Chacarra grabs five-shot lead

Four players share 2nd spot heading into final round at Stonehill

Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra opened up a five-stroke lead after the second round of the US$25 million LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok in Pathum Thani yesterday.

The 22-year-old Spaniard, the field’s youngest player, fired a record-tying nine-under-par 63 for a 16-under 128 total at the par-72 Stonehill Golf Course.

The closest pursuers to Lopez-Chacarra, who is just 18 holes away from a spectacular breakthrough victory, are a group of four players at 11-under 133: Richard Bland; Sihwan Kim; Harold Varner III; and Patrick Reed. The five-stroke lead is the largest after any round in LIV Golf’s inaugural season.

“Just try to have fun and then play to not make bogeys,” said Lopez-Chacarra, who tied Dustin Johnson for the lowest LIV Golf round in relation to par. “Kind of play smart…