Let's get this party started

When Jordan Speith arrives in Sydney next Tuesday to defend his Australian Open crown, he’ll have a knowing smile on his face.

The three-time major winner is keeping a close eye on housemate and compatriot Kramer Hikock who is in the top 10 of the leaderboard here at the NSW Open after a solid start to his second round.

Hikock, 25, lives in the Dallas, Texas, home owned by his former room-mate at the University of Texas. Whilst Speith’s career went stratospheric after finishing college, Hikock’s progression has been more like a work in progress.

“Kramer really looked at the New Year as one where he was going to step up his level of play and was going to do it through hard work,” Spieth told PGA.com after Hikock won twice on the Mackenzie tour in Canada last year, capturing the playerf of the year title.

“He worked his butt off. It’s not a surprise.”

Hikock made the turn -9 after picking up birdies at holes 2, 3 and 5 playing in the sixth group of the morning behind overnight leader Brett Coletta.

It’s a different Coletta today, the 21-year-old playing the front nine two-over to still be sitting in the top 10, but having given up bogeys at 1, 4 and 5 with just a sole birdie at the par five 9th, where he made a miraculous up-and-down from behind the green. He is recovering through the back nine, with an eagle on 11 returning him to -8.

Late yesterday, Joshua Gadd stormed up the leaderboard with a sublime 7-under effort that included two birdies and an eagle in his final four holes. The 18-year-old said his secret weapon was his patience.

“The course is the best I’ve ever seen it, the greens are amazing,” he said yesterday. “Just hit it on the line and they go in. It was good fun.”

Gadd continued today where he left off, at one point getting it to -10 on the front before a bogey at 16. His iron into the par-three 17th would become another birdie chance. He is two-under so far with the front nine still to play.

Other movement today came from the West Australians Jarrod Felton who was four-under the card for his second round to be at -10 and Jason Scrivener who is -3 for the day and outright leader at -11.

Victorian Jack Wilson is at -6 and climbing the leaderboard whilst also leading the rock star award along with his caddie, both of them sporting the best beards of the tournament.

The highlight this morning came from Group 5, made up of Coletta, Zach Murray (Am,) and veteran Michael Long who shot a combined -7 on the short par five 11th.
Murray and Coletta both eagled the hole, whilst Long scored an albatross which he needed, with his overall score now at -2.

Calm before the storm at Twin Creeks

The morning groups are away on day two of the NSW Open at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club in Penrith, in perfect conditions for scoring.

Light winds and warm, humid conditions greeted golfers at dawn, but it’s likely to change throughout the day.

With north-easterly winds and heavy clouds forecast, light rain is expected in the greater western Sydney location this afternoon,

Players looking to make the cut will need to take advantage of excellent conditions early this morning with playing conditions likely to become more difficult later on.

Victorian Brett Coletta was among the early groups out on the course this morning, looking to add more birdies to his superb opening round of 64 yesterday.

Join us throughout the day as we bring you online and social media updates, as well as facebook live events.

The action will be broadcast live on the Foxtel digital platform PGA TV and Epicentre.tv throughout the weekend which will bring you live coverage online.

If you are thinking about joining us, Twins Creeks Golf and Country Club is only 60-minutes from the Sydney CBD.

Better still, get down here, walk the fairways and rub shoulders with some of the Australia’s finest golfing talent as the Australian summer of golf gets into gear.