Yuan Leads At Halfway Stage Of Australian PGA Championship

China’s Yechun Carl Yuan leads the Australian PGA Championship at the halfway stage thanks to a wonderful second round of 65 on the Gold Coast.

Yuan followed his opening round of 70 with a seven-under-par second salvo at RACV Royal Pines, the joint lowest round of the day at the Australian PGA Championship.

However, it could have been much better for the Chinese player, who only recorded six pars across his 18 holes on Friday afternoon.

He went six-under through the front nine, thanks to four birdies and an eagle 3 at the par-5 9th, and then had a run of birdies at the 11th, 12th and 13th. However, three bogeys on the back nine saw him fall back to -9, but Yuan still holds a one-shot lead.

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Anthony Quayle sits in solo second place at -8, thanks to a second-round score of 66, while the duo of Wade Ormsby and Adam Scott are a further shot back, and are in a tie for 3rd spot.

Michael Hendry and Tom Power Horan then sit at -6, with Bryce Easton and Cameron Smith a further shot behind them, four back from the lead halfway through the Australian PGA Championship.

Smith is the two-time defending champion, but he struggled on opening day, dropping to +2. The Australian bounced back on Friday, though, with a stunning bogey-free 65, as he aims to become the first man from his country to go back-to-back-to-back at the same European Tour event.

Overnight leaders Brett Rankin and Lucas Herbert both dropped off the pace, with the former shooting a 73 to drop to -4 and into a tie for 9th, where he sits in a group that also contains Min Woo Lee and Travis Smyth, both of whom shot level-par 72s.

It was much worse for Herbert though, who undid all of his good work from Thursday morning, as he carded a 77 to drop back to level par, thanks to four consecutive bogeys to end his second round. He now sits in a tie for 42nd, alongside the likes of Portugal’s Pedro Figueiredo.

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Ryan Fox and the American trio of Johannes Veerman, Stewart Cink, and Cameron Champ are all within seven shots of the lead going into the weekend, with Romain Wattel and Rod Pampling in the group at -1, with 41 players under par at the halfway stage.

The cut line for the Australian PGA Championship comes at +1, with Alejandro Canizares and Louis de Jäger among those who narrowly made it into the final two rounds at Royal Pines.

72 made it through, but there were some big names that failed to do so, including Smylie Kaufman. David Smail and John Senden were both better than +1 at the start of the day but dropped below the line by the end of 36 holes.

Saturday’s action will begin early at Royal Pines, with Ashley Hall, Stephen Allan and Alejandro Canizares begin the day’s play at 07:02.

Back at the top, and Yechun Carl Yuan will start day three with a one-shot lead from Anthony Quayle. The pair will play alongside Adam Scott, who sits two back, on the third day, with the three teeing off at 11:25 (GMT+11).

Will be it the Chinese star that continues to lead at the end of the third day, or will one of the home hopes catch him up by the end of 54 holes?

Leaderboard (AUS unless stated):

1 (-9): Yechun Carl Yuan (CHN)

2 (-8): Anthony Quayle

T3 (-7): Adam Scott, Wade Ormsby

T5 (-6): Michael Hendry (NZL), Tom Power Horan

Selected Others:

T9 (-4): Brett Rankin, Min Woo Lee, Travis Smyth

T17 (-3): Ryan Fox (NZL), Cameron Champ (USA), Johannes Veerman (USA)

T26 (-2): Stewart Cink (USA), Calum Hill (SCO)

Next. European Ryder Cup Team of the Decade for the 2010’s. dark

Missed Cut:

T73 (+2): Nicolai Hojgaard (DEN), John Senden

T85 (+3): Smylie Kaufman (USA), David Smail (NZL)

T116 (+6): Clement Sordet (FRA), David Howell (ENG)

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