Chalmers breaks into the lead with late birdie - PGA of Australia

Chalmers breaks into the lead with late birdie


West Australian Greg Chalmers will take a one shot lead intothe weekend of the Emirates Australian Open being played at The Australian GolfClub.

West Australian Greg Chalmers will take a one shot lead intothe weekend of the Emirates Australian Open being played at The Australian GolfClub.

"GregIt was a congested leaderboard toward the end of the second round but a birdie on the 18th hole pushed Chalmers clear into the lead.

Starting the day at even par, Chalmers fired a 5-under 66 to earn his place at the top of the leaderboard.

"I felt really good about what I’d been trying to do and how I struck my irons compared to yesterday," said Chalmers.

"I did some hard work yesterday afternoon and this morning and that gave me a lot of confidence."

 "I felt like I had a nice rhythm to my swing after that, and it was just a case of maintaining that and seeing if I could get some good results out of it."

Chalmers has maintained a gruelling schedule having been to five countries since playing the ISPS HANDA Perth International in October.

"I don’t feel jet lagged, it’s just my sixth event in a row and I’m trying to converse my energy," added Chalmers.

"Ironically, the more birdies I make, it seems to be the more energy I have, so that’s always a good thing."

Chalmers is a two time champion at the Emirates Australian Open but World Number 1 Rory McIlroy lurking just one shot behind.

"I think it’s very early to be talking about winning given who’s right behind me and who’s playing very well, very early to be thinking about what’s going to happen on Sunday night."

McIlroy had a mixed round, with just one par on the back nine to finish at 2-under 69 for a two round total of 4-under the card.

"I felt like I had an opportunity today to maybe shoot a good one and put a little bit of space between myself and the rest of the field but it didn’t really pan out that way," said McIlroy.

"I had six birdies and an eagle today.  You eliminate the bad stuff and the bogeys and all of a sudden you turn that into a low score."

"I was happy with how I finished obviously, I was 4-under for the last five holes and came back well and still in a good position going into tomorrow."

Joining McIlroy tied second on the leaderboard are Adam Crawford (NSW), Todd Sinnott (am)(VIC) and Conrad Shindler (USA).

Overnight leader Jordan Spieth had 1-over 72 today and is tied 6th on 3-under the card with Brett Rumford and Geoff Drakeford who is making his Professional debut this week after Monday qualifying for the tournament.

Rounding out the top-10 on 2-under the card are six players including World Number 3 Adam Scott.

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