Westwood, Rumford ahead of the rest
PERTH: Former world No.1 Lee Westwood and defending champion Brett Rumford continued to lead the way at the US$1.75 million Super 6 in Perth yesterday.
The pair will play together for a third day in a row today after sharing the lead at the end of the second round at eight under.
They were one stroke ahead of four players on seven under – Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen, Australian Lucas Herbert, Scotland’s Grant Forrest and Thailand’s Prom Meesawat.
Prom was the joint leader until the 18th hole, where he bogeyed to fall back.
In challenging conditions Westwood shot a two-under 70 to join Rumford, who couldn’t replicate his first round score of 64 and shot 72, in the lead.
The Brit, who chipped in on the fourth and sixth holes, said the wind made low scoring difficult.
“I know the wind can really pick up in Perth, but you don’t expect it to blow quite as strong as it has blown today and it was tricky out there,” Westwood said.
“You really have to have your wits about you.”
The unique tri-sanctioned European Tour tournament sees the top 24 after the first three rounds of strokeplay undertake match play on the final day to decide the winner.
The top eight qualifiers have a bye in the first round of matchplay tomorrow.
Rumford, who led by five strokes at the end of qualifying last year, held a two-stroke lead after 14 holes, but Westwood joined him with an eagle on the 15th.
A Rumford bogey on the 17th handed the Brit the lead, only for Westwood to also drop a stroke after missing a two metre putt on the last hole.
Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat started brilliantly as one of the early groups on the course and briefly held the lead when he moved to nine under.
However, four bogeys in a row on the back nine saw him drop back to finish at five under.
Kiradech’s countryman Pavit Tangkamolprasert provided the day’s highlight with a hole-in-one on the 17th on his way to three under.
Local amateur Minn Woo Lee is also well-placed to reach the final day, the 19-year-old shooting 70 to be five under.
However, two of the biggest names in the tournament failed to make the cut.
The 2016 US Masters champion Danny Willett was unable to recover from his opening round 76 and shot a 75 on day two to finish seven over as his recent woes continued, missing his third successive cut.
Fellow Englishman Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston also struggled in warm conditions, the world No.161 shooting a 76 on the second day to be five over.
LEADING SECOND ROUND SCORES
(Par-72)
136 — Brett Rumford (AUS) 64-72, Lee Westwood (ENG) 66-70
137 — Thorbjorn Olesen (DEN) 70-67, Lucas Herbert (AUS) 68-69, Prom Meesawat (THA) 67-70, Grant Forrest (SCO) 69-68
138 — Zander Lombard (RSA) 68-70
139 — Anthony Quayle (AUS) 71-68, Sean Crocker (USA) 70-69, Adam Blyth (AUS) 73-66, Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA) 67-72, Andrea Pavan (ITA) 73-66, Min Woo Lee (am, AUS) 69-70
140 — Wade Ormsby (AUS) 67-73, Yi-keun Chang (KOR) 67-73, Jack Wilson (AUS) 73-67, Sam Horsfield (ENG) 68-72, Yusaku Miyazato (JPN) 70-70, Nick Cullen (AUS) 72-68, Jason Scrivener (AUS) 67-73. 141 — David Bransdon (AUS) 71-70, Satoshi Kodaira (JPN) 70-71, Brad Kennedy (AUS) 69-72, Julien Guerrier (FRA) 74-67, Pavit Tangkamolprasert (THA) 70-71, Daniel Fox (AUS) 69-72, Stephen Leaney (AUS) 69-72, Ben Eccles (AUS) 72-69, Han Seung-Su (USA) 68-73 142 — Richard Green (AUS) 69-73, Marcus Fraser (AUS) 68-74, Dimitrios Papadatos (AUS) 69-73, Jazz Janewattananond (THA) 68-74, Jake McLeod (AUS) 72-70, James Nitties (AUS) 66-76, Rattanon Wannasrichan (THA) 72-70, Suradit Yongcharoenchai (THA) 71-71, Charlie Ford (ENG) 69-73, Matthew Griffin (AUS) 70-72, Steven Brown (ENG) 72-70, Daisuke Kataoka (JPN) 67-75, Jens Fahrbring (SWE) 68-74