Herbert takes lead 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 inal 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.
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.
Herbert followed up his first day 67 with six birdies to set the pace at nine-under 133 and remain in front.
The recently-turned professional also led the Australian Open last year before eventually finishing 20th, but said he was better equipped to handle the pressure this time.
Hoping to capitalise on the benign morning conditions after playing his opening round in gusting winds on Thursday, Spieth only managed two birdies in the second round.
The three-time major winner has not played in six weeks and is missing his regular caddie Michael Greller, who remained at home after the recent birth of his son.
But Spieth said he was making progress.
CHAWRASIA STAYS AHEAD
Justin Rose targeted one “hot” run this weekend to claw his way back into the Hong Kong Open, as world number 231-ranked golfer SSP Chawrasia extended his lead on Friday.
The Englishman, who won at Hong Kong in 2015, shot 69 in a turbulent round including six birdies on day two to leave him three underpar for the tournament, six shots off the unheralded Indian player.
Rose, who arrived in Hong Kong this week off the back of a successful but draining schedule, said he was skipping training between rounds in order to conserve his energy.
In the last month, Rose has won tournaments in China and Turkey, and narrowly missed out on the Race to Dubai crown in the Middle Eastern emirate on Sunday.
Meanwhile Rose’s playing partner Sergio Garcia, the Masters champion, found the Hong Kong course’s firm greens, narrow fairways and unpredictable winds on day two even tougher.
Despite being the shortest course on the European Tour circuit at 6,713 yards, the Hong Kong golf Club was playing as the fifthhardest non-major of 2017 after the opening round.