SYDNEY, 27 November 2004 — Rod Pampling took advantage of perfect morning conditions to snatch a four-stroke lead after the second round of the centenary Australian Open yesterday.
Pampling fired a four-under-par 67, matching his first round score, to reach the clubhouse with a 36-hole total of eight-under-par 134 when the weather turned foul.
That put him four shots clear of first-round leader Kurt Barnes who added a 73 to his course-record 65 the previous day after gusting winds swept across the course around midday, making it difficult for players to shoot low scores. Brett Rumford and tournament favorite Stuart Appleby both shot 70 to share third place at three under par while Paul Gow and Anthony Painter were a further stroke behind.
Only 11 of the 125 starters broke par for the day and just nine players were under par for 36 holes. The cut-off mark was seven over par.
Pampling, who is best known for leading the first round of the 1999 British Open at Carnoustie only to miss the cut, made the most of the calmer morning conditions.
He collected four birdies on the front nine to go out in 31 and traded shots on the back nine to come home in even par. Barnes, playing three groups behind Pampling, ran into the teeth of the wind late in his round.
The 23-year-old was level with Pampling at eight under par with just six holes to play until three bogeys and a double bogey made him slip five behind. He salvaged a birdie on the last to close the gap to four. Rumford also had an up-and-down round, taking a triple-bogey on the par-three second and dropping another shot at the ninth. But five birdies, including the last two holes, helped him finish one-under for the day.
Appleby was one of the few players to make any ground late in the day. Playing in the worst of the conditions, the 2001 Australian Open champion made four bogeys and five birdies to sign off in the red.
Welshman Braves Chill to Lead China Open by Three Shots
In Shanghai, Welshman Stephen Dodd battled biting cold and windy conditions to open up a three-shot lead at the halfway stage of the million-dollar China Open yesterday.
The 38-year-old Dodds produced a two-under-par 70, illuminating a gloomy day at Shanghai Silport Golf Club as temperatures dipped near freezing point. South Korea’s Chung Joon led the Asian Tour’s charge in the 10th China Open, jointly sanctioned for the first time with European Tour. Chung carded a 72 after dropping three bogeys in his last five holes for tied second place with England’s Matthew King and Dane Soren Hansen, playing with nine good fingers after suffering a hairline fracture in the last finger of his left hand. Hansen shot a 71 while King returned a 73.
Local favorite and defending champion Zhang Lian-wei bore the brunt of the wind chill by not having winter gloves to keep his hands warm and stumbled to a 76 for a two-day total of 145, seven off the lead. Europe’s Ryder Cup star Thomas Bjorn stayed within striking distance following a 72. The resurgent Dane, coming out of a rough mid-summer patch, said trailing the surprise leader by five strokes is not insurmountable. Since playing on the European Tour in 1995, Dodd has never won a title but braved the difficult conditions to shoot four birdies, including a chip-in on the eighth.
Another Welshman Bradley Dredge, the co-overnight leader, carded a 75 to slip to two-under for the event in tied fifth place while Unho Park of Australia, tied with Dredge at the start of the round, fell off the leaderboard with an 80.
South African Schwartzel Surges to Casio World Lead
In Kaimon, Japan, rising South African star Charl Schwartzel surged to a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Casio World Open golf tournament Thursday, chasing his first victory since his pro debut in 2002.
Schwartzel, the youngest player on the European tour at 20, sank six birdies, including four straight from the 11th to 14th holes, against one bogey for a five-under-par 67 on the 7,151-yard Ibusuki Golf Club.
He stood with a two-round total of 135, one stroke ahead of overnight leader Hunter Mahan of the United States, New Zealander David Smail and two Japanese pros, Tadahiro Takayama and Hisayuki Sasaki. Another Japanese, Katsunori Kuwabara, who shared the first-round lead with Mahan at 66, slipped to solo seventh spot at 137. Schwartzel was steady with tee shots, missing the fairway only.
The tournament carries total prize money of 140 million yen ($1.35 million) with 28 million yen going to the winner.
