Adam Scott has lipped out twice in the space of three holes, first for an eagle then an albatross, and shares the lead with Min Woo Lee at the Australian PGA.
Scott and Lee are 11-under and three strokes clear of the chasing pack on day two at Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane.
Lee finished day one in second place after firing a sizzling seven-under 64 and picked up where he left off on Friday with four birdies on the front nine and is through 14 holes.
Scott, a two-time Australian PGA champion, fired a first-round 66, before rolling in another five birdies through 15 holes on Friday.
Scott almost had an incredible eagle at the 10th when his approach from over 100 metres lipped out of the cup. He tapped in for birdie.
“Go in, oh! That was almost a bullseye, he is striping the ball today, Adam Scott,” Warren Smith said on Fox Sports.
Then on the 292m par-four 12th, Scott drove the green and the ball then rolled into the hole but hit the flag and bounced out.
“Wow, that was crazy. That hit dead centre, it was just the speed,” the commentators said on the broadcast.
Fellow Australia Curtis Luck (67) has a share of third at eight-under after nailing a hole-in-one at Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane.
Lucas Herbert (68) and John Lyras (11th hole) also sit equal third, while Spain’s world No.1162 Joel Moscatel Nachshon, who shot a course-record equalling 63 on Thursday, has fallen off the pace.
Cameron Smith managed just a single birdie and three bogeys to post a two-over 73 Thursday and things got worse on Friday.
The defending champion is playing the 16th and is now seven-over following four bogeys and a double bogey.
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Marc Leishman shot three-under on Thursday and is now five-under after shooting 69 on Friday.
Australian world No. 1135 Ben Eccles charged up the leaderboard to second after shooting four-under through 12 holes, but a double bogey at the 13th and bogey at the 15th saw him post a 69 to sit T11.
LUCK FIRES FIRST HOLE IN ONE
There was no beer shower for Curtis Luck when he nailed a hole-in-one at the Australian PGA’s party hole early on Friday morning.
The purpose-built grandstands surrounding the short par three had around 200 people in them when the 27-year-old West Australian got the perfect amount of spin from his gap wedge off the tee.
A sellout crowd of 3000 fans are expected to fill those same stands at Royal Queensland across the weekend when a similar effort could get the same treatment as Chase Koepka when he nailed an ace at the “watering hole” during the LIV event in Adelaide in April.
But Luck had to settle for some enthusiastic applause and a high-five from a young fan as he walked to the 18th tee.
His effort helped lift Luck to towards the top of the leaderboard and he was six-under, just two behind Spanish leader Joel Moscatel, as he started his back nine.
Luck, who plies his trade on the US Korn Ferry Tour, gave his hole-in-one ball to Theo Smith, the four-year-old son of his caddie Duane Smith.
Theo’s mother, Australian professional golfer Sarah Jane Smith, was also among the “party hole” spectators fortunate enough to see Luck’s ace.
Party holes have become a must at golf tournaments looking to both attract more fans and take the game forward, copying the success of the Phoenix Open in the US, which attracts tens of thousands to the huge grandstands lining the 16th hole.
Adelaide’s inaugural LIV event was highlighted by Koepka’s stunning effort and the resultant celebrations with he and his player partners surrounded by beer cups after nailed the first and only hole-in-one during the tournament at the Grange Golf Club.
– Marco Monteverde, NCA NewsWire
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