Date: November 24, 2006
Author: Ben Wise

Youn gun still on top

Ben Wise at Huntingdale, Sportal Golf Australia national squad member Aaron Pike has continued to belie his amateur status at the MasterCard Australian Masters at Huntingdale, the 21-year-old opening up a two-stroke lead over Justin Rose after the second round on Friday. Following his course record-equalling 64 on Thursday, Pike&aposs added a three-under 69 to move to 11-under in warm conditions in South East Melbourne and overtake early second-round leader Rose – who fired a 66. It could have been an even greater margin, but like most of the field, he struggled on the final three holes, dropping shots on 17 and 18 – the second round&aposs hardest hole. But Pike seems unfazed with holding the lead in one of the biggest tournaments on the Australasian circuit. “Just because I&aposm leading or just because there might be top 20 golfers breathing down my neck I&aposm not going to go out there and hit a thousand balls tomorrow morning to try to get better,” Pike said. “I&aposve shown for the first two days that I can play and if I do it again, if I shoot 11-under again which is doable it&aposs going to be hard for one of those guys to run over the top of me.” New South Welshman Kurt Barnes (70-66) lies alone in third position at eight-under, one stroke ahead of Australian Open champion John Senden (69-68), Tony Carolan (68-69), Steven Bowditch (68-69) and South Australian leftie Greg Chalmers – who came home in 30 after starting on the 10th in his second-round 67. “I shot six-under on those nine holes and it could have been seven or eight,” Chalmers said. “I missed an eight-footer on four for birdie and could have birdied nine. I was feeling good.” Raphael Jacquelin failed to light up the course like he did on Thursday, but his workmanlike 72 has him right in contention at six-under. Aaron Baddeley&aposs 71 on Friday has him in the hunt ahead of the weekend, his five-under total overall leaving the Victorian tied with 1997 and 2002 champion Peter Lonard (68-71), Spaniard Carl Suneson (68-71), Victorian Peter Wilson (65-74) and James Nitties, who carded his 68 in the calmer morning conditions. Defending champion Robert Allenby (69-71) will be disappointed to be four-under for the championship, having climbed to seven-under after 11 holes in his second round. Joining Allenby in a tie for 15th is Nathan Green (73-67), triple MasterCard Masters champion Craig Parry (68-72), Englishman Andrew Butterfield (70-70) and South Australian Gary Simpson, who shot the low round of the day (65). Playing with Rose, Nick O&aposHern made an early second-day move, the West Australian five-under on his round and up to minus four overall after 14 holes. But a triple-bogey eight at the sixth halted the run before he eventually shot a 68 to be three-under. But it is 2005 Queensland Amateur champion Pike who remains the big story from Huntingdale – which is hosting the MasterCard Masters for the 28th consecutive year. Pike would become the first amateur and youngest-ever player to win the MasterCard Masters should he don the gold jacket on his 115-kilo, 190cm frame on Sunday night. And world No.74 Senden predicts that Pike can remain in contention over the weekend. “It&aposs good (an amateur is leading). He&aposs playing well and doing a very good job to be 12-under. He&aposs obviously a very good player so he&aposll be there on the weekend,” Senden told Sportal. Earlier, starting on the back-nine in benign conditions with a 69 behind him, Rose birdied 10, 12 and 15 before a great par save on 16, when he nearly hit his drive out of bounds, to move to six-under. Further birdies at the first, third, fourth and sixth holes – he bogeyed the long par-three fifth – had Rose up to eight-under before a last-hole birdie catapulted him above Pike at the time. “I played the par-threes really, really well today,” Rose said after his 66. “I made three twos, and hit iron shots close on all of those birdies so anytime you make three twos it tidies up your score pretty quick.” The big-hitting Barnes, who credits a healthier lifestyle for his improved efforts on the course, gives himself a realistic shot of winning the event. “Hopefully another couple of six-unders on the weekend and who knows? I might be wearing the gold jacket,” he said. After sharing second-place following a first-round 65, Englishman Nick Dougherty carded a poor 77 to fall back to two-under, while pre-tournament favourite Stuart Appleby, in need of a low round after his dismal opening 75, answered the challenge by shooting a 67 – the equal-second best round of those playing in the afternoon. It wasn&apost such good news for New Zealander Michael Campbell though, his rounds of 74-73 not good enough to make the plus one halfway cut in a tournament which the players have had the better of the course.