Smith leads by one in Australian PGA Championship defence
ByReuters
Published 30/11/2018 at 08:34 GMT
SYDNEY, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Defending champion Cameron Smith shot a seven-under 65 to open a one-shot lead after the second round of the Australian PGA Championship on the Gold Coast on Friday, as home favourite Marc Leishman moved into contention.
Eurosport
Image credit: Eurosport
Starting the day four strokes adrift at Royal Pines Resort, Smith completed 36 holes with a nine-under total of 135 to sit just ahead of Australian number two Leishman and Queenslander Jake McLeod at the European Tour co-sanctioned event.
Smith, who teamed with Leishman to help Australia claim a share of second place at the World Cup of Golf last Sunday, roared out of the blocks with six birdies and a bogey to reach the turn five-under for his round on 31.
He added another two birdies in a bogey-free back nine to be well placed at a tournament he won in a playoff last year.
"I did a little bit of extra work this morning on the green and it paid off. I was actually getting putts to the hole today, which is nice," Smith told reporters.
Leishman fired a second successive 68 but squandered a chance for a share of the lead with a bogey on the 16th.
Overnight co-leader McLeod broke clear of the field with an eagle on the par-five 12th but stalled with a bogey on the next hole before relinquishing the lead with a double-bogey on the 17th.
Australians Dimitrios Papadatos, Matt Jager and Christopher Wood were tied for fourth on seven-under, one ahead of American Harold Varner III, the 2016 champion. (Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by John O'Brien)
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