Kisner on the birdie trail

Kevin Kisner admits he will need to make more birdies in order to win the WGC-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai.

The American is currently top of the standings at the halfway point on -14 after carding a superb six-under-par 66 on Friday at the Sheshan International golf club.

He made six birdies in a bogey-free round and the 31-year-old is yet to drop a shot from the first 36-holes of the tournament, a statistic that highlights his impressive form at the moment.

Kisner, who has won twice on the PGA Tour, has never managed to triumph on the European circuit but a two-shot advantage heading into the weekend has provided him with a great chance.

Scotland’s Russel Knox is chasing hard in second place, just two shots off the pace on -12, and the overnight leader admits more low scores are on the agenda if he is to fend off his rivals.

“It’s going to take a lot more birdies this week to win and that’s my game plan,” Kisner said. “I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing and I’ll look up on the back nine on Sunday and see how we’re doing.”

Branden Grace is currently alone in third place after a one-under-par 71 took the South Africa to -10 overall for the competition.

American Patrick Reed, alongside Haotong Li, is a further shot off the lead after signing for a two-under 70.

Matthew Fitzpatrick is just in contention on -7 after the Englishman went three-under for the day to move into a four-way tie for ninth place.

Tagged Kevin Kisner