Australia’s Marcus Fraser remained on course for a second win in the rich Ballantyne’s Championship golf tournament on Friday, one shot from the lead at the halfway stage of the the co-sanctioned event.
Conditions at the Blackstone Golf Club layout could not have been more contrasting to the gales of Thursday as an almost flat calm and bright blue skies made conditions perfect for scoring.
Austria’s world No.170 Bernd Wiesberger took full advantage to shoot a bogey-free seven-under 65, the best round of the week, and take a one-shot lead.
The 33-year-old Fraser carded a five-under par 67 to move to six-under at the halfway stage, one ahead of Sweden’s Oscar Floren.
Well placed for a weekend assault is seasoned European Tour player Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain, the runner-up here last year. He stands at four-under par after a 68.
Just two shots further back are English duo Paul Casey and Ian Poulter who are both on two-under after a 72 and 67 respectively.
Other big names did not fare so well: the highest ranked player in the field, Australia’s world No.12 Adam Scott plunged down the leaderboard and only just made the weekend after a 76 left him just inside the four-over par cut mark.
And British Open champion Darren Clarke could not undo the damage caused by his opening day 77 and missed the cut despite improving with a second-round level-par 72 which contained four birdies.
Fraser is bidding to become the first double winner of this championship as it celebrates its fifth anniversary — he won in 2010 at Jeju Island.
And he announced his intentions by birdying all four of Blackstone’s par fives.
“Obviously yesterday was very windy, pretty tricky for everybody,” said Fraser, the two-time European Tour winner who is in good form having finished sixth in the China Open last week.
“And then today was completely different. We basically had no wind for most of the day and then it kicked up a little bit over the last maybe five, six holes. But overall, I’m very happy and very pleased with the way it’s going at the moment.”
