Marcus Fraser overpowers Bubba Watson for the second round lead in Australian PGA Championship
Bubba Watson’s late bogeys on the back nine at the second round of the Australian PGA Championship turned out to be a tremendous help for the impressive Marcus Fraser who has now emerged as the leader through the halfway mark of the event. Having a humble
score card of four-under, 68 on the first day, Fraser pulled in a stunning seven-under, 65 on the second day, staying clear of the long-hitting American by two shots.
"You have to be patient on this course, and if you start to short-side yourself, you have to work pretty hard to make par," Fraser said. "That's what happened on 17. We all know the quality of the field, and it's probably the best week of the year we have.
So we'll give it a shot and see how it goes."
Fraser pulled in seven birdies on the 18-hole stretch without dropping a single shot in the day. He sank a whooping 20-foot putt on the 17th
of the scenic Hyatt Regency Resort and is poised at an aggregate of 11-under, 133 for the moment.
Meanwhile, Watson, who grabbed early lead in the day, only to let go of it on the penultimate holes where he fell in for no fewer than three bogeys on the 14, 15 and 17. He stays as an outright second in the tournament.
Kim Kyung-Tae, the young South Korean also played well on the second day to throw himself in contention for the top slot. Carding a round of five-under, 67, Kim closed his impressive round with three consecutive birdies on the back nine to finish as outright
third, trailing the leader three shots.
Three top ranking Australians including Adam Scott, Robert Allenby and John Senden finished for joint fourth alongside Korean Y. E Yang with an aggregate of seven-under, 137 each. Yang had an early success in the day where he surged to the top of the leaderboard
but a disastrous double-bogey on the 17th and a bogey on the 18th pushed him down, finishing for joint fourth.
"It's a little bit easier," Yang said admitting that his experience in last week’s President’s Cup at Royal Melbourne has helped him here. "It was good prep from last week to get ready for this week. There are some shorter holes I need to play well on my
wedge and my nine iron."
Greg Norman and Geoff Ogilvy are now tied for 28th down the leadeboard.
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