It’s been 12 years since anybody did the Australian PGA and Open double.
However Min Woo Lee is taking part in such irresistible golf it will onerous to guess in opposition to the 25-year-old repeating Greg Chalmer’s feat from 2011 after he seized management in Sydney to take a three-shot lead as he completed his spherical, closing with an eagle after a second shot on the par-five 18th which needed to be seen to be believed.
Adam Scott declared he had “two extra goes at operating them down” after storming again in to the match with a five-under spherical which included a miracle gap out from the primary fairway, and Cameron Smith tried to place his Brisbane nightmare to mattress with a preventing three-under 68 as nicely.
Smith was clearly nonetheless pissed off together with his up and down sport, tossing his ball into the water beside the seventeenth inexperienced after making a late bogey to ship him again to the chasing pack, however preserving him alive for the weekend having missed the minimize on the PGA.
“It was simply irritating. I imply, like I stated, I did all the things I wanted to do and had a little bit of a crappy quantity into 17 and simply hit a poor shot and stroll away with 5 after an ideal drive is fairly irritating,” Smith stated.
“However I believe additionally hitting one other good putt and simply sliding by once more was form of the development of the day. So it simply began to get somewhat bit a lot there on the finish. However hit a few good photographs into the final and walked away with a birdie, in order that positively eased the ache somewhat bit.”
However it was Lee, contemporary of his PGA win which propelled him to world No.38, and in to subsequent 12 months’s Masters, who stored his scorching hand operating, recovering from a gap gap bogey to make six birdies and the eagle in his seven-under spherical of 64.
He seized the outright lead from Scotland’s Connor Syme with a birdie on the sixteenth gap, resetting to nail the putt after the printed from the close by hospitality tents reverberated across the inexperienced.
Then he hit his nine-iron method on the par-five 18th gap, from the pine straw beneath a tree after lacking the green, landed clear and spun its option to three ft for an unimaginable eagle which lifted him away from all of the chasers.
“I noticed the protection and it spun left in direction of the opening and practically truly went in, so actually pleased with that end,” Lee stated of his gorgeous closing shot.
“It’s at all times good to make an eagle each time, however on the final gap, it’s even nicer.
“Generally you play good, generally you play unhealthy and proper now I’m taking part in good and I’m having enjoyable. It’s not many time we get to play out right here in Australia and luxuriate in such a crowd, so I’m soaking all of it in.”
American Patrick Rodgers was additionally three again from Lee whereas South American weapons Jhonattan Vegas and LIV star Joaquin Niemann loom as key males to carry off after the duo eached fired rounds of six-under 66 to get themselves to eight-under getting in to Saturday.
Scott holed out from the green on the primary gap for an eagle to large roars as he bounced again from a middling opening day to card a four-under 68.
The eagle went with 5 extra birdies, but in addition amid three bogeys because the 2013 Masters champ put himself ready to assault on the weekend.
“It was truly the third time I had that quantity immediately,” Scott stated of his hole-out.
“I hadn’t practised at it and I didn’t too good the primary two goes at it, however lastly figured it out and hit a pleasant shot straight at it, one bounce and it went in I believe.
“I’m actually pleased with the place I’m at. Had good situations immediately. I haven’t felt very nice on the golf course this week, my contact is off, so yeah, simply not been feeling nice, however it may possibly flip round in a day. I’ve obtained two extra goes at operating them down.”
AUSTRALIAN OPEN LEADERBOARD
(Australian except acknowledged)
12-under – Min Woo Lee
9-under – Connor Syme (Sco), Patrick Rodgers (USA)
8-under – Joaquin Niemann (Chi), Jhonattan Vegas (Ven)
Initially printed as Min Woo Lee dominates second spherical on the Australian Open to grab the lead
