December 11: Australian Matt Griffin has capitalized on runaway 18-hole leader Han Min-kyu’s return to the field by grabbing the outright lead at the halfway mark of the Australian PGA Championship presented by Coca Cola at Coolum on Friday.
The US$1.2 million tournament is the final event of the year on the OneAsia Tour.
But while the 26-year-old boldly declared after adding a three-under 68 to his opening 67 that he's ready to claim victory he'll also be very aware that defending champion Geoff Ogilvy (66) and Stuart Appleby (69) are lurking just a shot back at minus-six with a Jason Norris (67).
Although Australians Bronson La Cassie (69) and Scott Strange (70) both improved on their overnight scores to five-under after 36 holes, Han failed to back up his amazing Thursday 62 that contained 11 birdies and just 21 putts as he had five bogeys in his final 10 holes en route to a 75.
Michael Curtain walked away with round-of-the-day honours late on after completing a 65 that saw him scorch home on the front nine in 30 strokes, drawing him level on four-under with Robert Allenby (68), Adam Scott (70), Greg Chalmers (70) and Chan Shih-ching (70) of Chinese Taipei.
American John Daly comfortably made the cut despite enduring a testing day with a 70 to be at minus-one along with rising local star Michael Sim (70) while Brad Kennedy and Scott Laycock both shot 66s to head those square with the card.
Griffin gave no hint of the move he would make later in the day when he followed a pair of back-nine birdies with bogeys on both occasions but he picked up further shots at the 4th, 5th and 8th holes to grab the lead despite playing in the tougher afternoon conditions.
"Yeah it was tricky out there this afternoon, luckily on the first day we didn't get much wind," Griffin said.
"Today we probably had the tee time that got most of the wind, being right in the middle, the wind was all over the place out there."
Ogilvy got off to an encouraging start to his round with a birdie at the 2nd only to then double-bogey the next but six birdies in a dozen holes from the 5th allowed him to make his presence felt as he soared up the leaderboard.
Two years after suffering horrific facial injuries falling from a bike on the Friday night after he'd missed the cut at Coolum, Norris said after collecting five birdies and a bogey that the venue 'owes' him.
"Doesn't matter what happens, if you have a great weekend it would be fantastic, it would be a good Christmas," Norris said.
"Obviously it would mean much more to me after a couple of years ago, I have never won a huge event and I plan on winning one before I give it away, I'd like to, definitely."
Fresh from tearing around Coolum on Thursday morning with an astonishing 62, Han parred the first seven holes but wayward putting dropped him right back into the pack as he followed with five bogeys.
A day after both Allenby and Appleby had adventures in the water, Allenby having stepped in there with his pants rolled up to the ankles and Appleby having thought he was going to fall in playing a shot on a bank, Allenby dispensed completely with his pants at the 3rd.
With his second shot he landed his ball on the bank lining the green but it rolled back and with his third, wearing only his boxer shorts and thigh-deep in the water, he got out of the hazard but still needed three more shots to complete a double-bogey after missing his eight-foot putt for bogey and lamented not finishing lower.
"I think four-under is fine but as I said I wished I was a couple better, I think six (under) going into the weekend would have been a lot better but it just means that I have to make a lot of birdies over the last 36 holes," Allenby said.
The Australian PGA Championship is the final event on both the Australasian Tour and OneAsia calendars for 2009, ensuring the respective Order of Merit winners for both circuits will be crowned on Sunday.
The inaugural OneAsia season teed off with April’s Volvo China Open won by Australian Scott Strange, who leads the Order of Merit.
Korea’s Bae Sang-moon won his second straight title at September’s Kolon-Hana Bank Korea Open, Chinese number one Liang Wenchong won October’s Midea China Classic and former world number three Scott won last week’s Australian Open in Sydney.
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