Day makes his charge at Australian Open

SYDNEY: Jason Day reeled off four birdies in a row to charge up the leaderboard at the Australian Open on Friday, after world number two Jordan Spieth birdied his final hole for the second day in a row.

Playing in the afternoon when the wind was at its strongest, Day defied blustery conditions to shoot a second round three-under par 68 and reach the halfway point at eight-under.

That left the Australian just one stroke behind outright leader Lucas Herbert, who made the most of his early tee-off time and carded a 66.

Spieth, still rusty after taking an extended break since the Presidents Cup, battled his way to an even-par 71 to be one-under overall but was still hopeful of catching up to the frontrunners over the weekend.

"On this golf course, more than just about any that we play, I feel like you can make up more ground and come from behind," he said.

Day, chasing his first victory of 2017 and his maiden win at his national open, briefly joined Herbert in a share of the lead when he drained a 20-foot putt on the 15th hole for his fourth successive birdie.

The former world number one slipped a shot behind when he bogeyed the 17th but scrambled a par on the last after finding a fairway bunker with his drive.

With a seven-stroke advantage over Spieth, Day is now a strong favourite to win the Stonehaven Cup but he said he fully expected the American to claw his way back into contention. - AFP