Geoff Ogilvy will take a one-shot lead into day three of the Australian Open presented by Century 21 despite the best efforts of Matt Jones who fired a course-record 64 at The Lakes on Friday afternoon. Jones, who played his junior golf at the nearby Australian Golf club in Sydney, defied blustery conditions to post the round of the tournament and move into outright second at 10-under par. The 30-year old made four birdies either side of the turn to book his place in the final group alongside fellow PGA Tour player Ogilvy. Ogilvy led by as many as four shots midway through the afternoon session after taking advantage of benign morning conditions to card seven-under 65 and get to 11-under par overall. Defending champion Adam Scott was the other major mover of the morning wave, shooting a sizzling 66 to finish at minus three. Scott, playing alongside Ogilvy, began the day outside the cut-line after an opening round of 75 that included a whopping 38 putts but finished the second day in a share of 16th. Tournament drawcard Greg Norman also made a significant move in the right direction with an impressive three-under 69 to finish at minus-one through 36 holes. The Shark made the turn in three-under 32 and mixed two bogeys with two birdies on the inward half to make the cut by two shots. JB Were Masters Champion Stuart Appleby struggled to a five-over 77 but produced a birdie at the penultimate hole to make the cut on the number at plus-one. The news was not quite so good for John Daly (77), Aaron Baddeley (75) and Fred Couples (74), who all missed the cut by a solitary shot after falling victim to the tricky afternoon conditions. Overnight leader Matthew Griffin trails Ogilvy by two shots after backing up his opening 65 with a two-under 70 to finish at nine-under overall. American Dudley Hart (69), playing his first tournament in 18 months following back surgery, shares fourth spot with 2006 champion John Senden (71), and Paul Sheehan who signed for a 67. Lakes member and NSW Open champion Peter O&aposMalley is among five players at minus-five alongside NSW PGA winner Steven Bowditch who recorded a 69. Isolated showers and 15kmh north-east winds are expected to greet the players while the mercury is expected to top 24 degrees on Saturday.
Author: Steve Orme at The Lakes Golf Club, Sportal