American Arron Oberholser fired a six-under par 64 on Friday to seize a one-stroke lead over Australian Steve Allan after the second round of the US$5 million PGA Fry’s.com Open.
Oberholser stood on 11-under par 129 after 36 holes with Allan, who fired a 63 on Friday, next on 130 and Americans Brad Elder and George McNeill sharing third on 131, each firing a 63 in the second round.
Oberholser, 33, hit all 14 fairways in the round.
Aussie Mathew Goggin, who also shot 63, was on 132 with Americans Paul Goydos, John Mallinger and Robert Garrigus. Goydos had the day’s low round at 62.
Oberholser had back-to-back birdies at the second and third holes and again at the fifth and sixth before taking his first bogey of the week at the par-3 eighth hole.
Oberholser began the back nine with a pair of birdies, took a bogey at 13 but answered with birdies on 14 and 17.
Allan began on the back nine and birdied the 11th, 12th and 15th holes. His lone bogey of the day came at the first hole but the Aussie fought back with four birdies in a row starting at the third hole and another at the eighth.
Elder and McNeill stayed in the hunt with steady play.
Goggin opened and closed with bogeys but birdied nine times in between.
■MERCEDEZ-BENZ
AFP, JAKARTA
Indonesia’s Rory Hie announced his arrival among the professional golfing ranks Saturday, winning the International Championship on the Mercedes-Benz tour in impressive style.
Hie, who turned professional in August following a brilliant college career in the US, fired a final round two-under-par 70 to finish three strokes clear of another rising star from Indonesia, Mauludin Andik.
Andik, the country’s top amateur who is on the brink of turning professional, carded 69 at the Imperial Klub Golf near Jakarta. Filipino Jay Bayron finished four strokes behind the winner in outright third after closing with a 70.
Hie finished the match with a total 10-under-par 278 to earn a winners’ check for US$8,126..
The victory was the first for an Indonesian on the Southeast Asian tour and earned him a place in the season ending Mercedes-Benz Masters Thailand.
The 20-year-old played for the University of Southern California and at one point was ranked the No. 6 amateur in the world. The talented golfer attended college for two years and then opted to leave prematurely as he felt he was ready for the professional game.
Andik, 26, got off to an inspired start and drew level with playing partner Hie after making birdies on the first four holes.
However, Hie restored order with birdies on the seventh and eighth and later 13 and 14. He dropped shots on 15 and 16 but held a three-stroke lead going down the last.
Filipino Rey Pagunsan was fourth after carding a 69 to finish three under par.
■CASTELLO MASTERS
AFP, CASTELLON, Spain
Sergio Garcia fired a six under par 65 to give him a share of a three-way lead after two rounds of the Castello Masters on Friday as the Spanish Ryder Cup star made the most of his home course knowledge.
Garcia is 11 under at the Club de Campo where he learnt the game and where his father Victor is still the club professional.
England’s Richard Finch and Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen, the first-round leader, share top spot on the leaderboard.
Garcia carded a bogey at the second hole, but recovered in style to fire seven birdies.
“This week is great,” Garcia said. “It’s nice to be in this position as there is a little bit of pressure playing on my home course.”
Kjeldsen would have kept his first round lead but bogeyed the 18th as he carded a 67 while Finch picked up six successive birdies on his way to a 66.
Five players are on nine under: Francois Delamontagne, David Lynn, Peter Hedblom, Simon Dyson and Alvaro Quiros, last week’s Portugal Masters champion.
Colombia’s Camilo Villegas hit a hole in one on the par three 12th, which helped him to a five under 66 to leave him six under.
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