Appropriately enough, on Valentine’s Day, Ernie Els continued his love affair with Australia when he stretched his lead at the halfway stage of the Johnnie Walker Classic at Lake Karrinyup Country Club in Perth.
Two weeks after successfully defending his Heineken Classic title at Royal Melbourne Golf Club on Australia’s east coast, the 33 year old South African proved just as effective on the west coast in his quest for his fifth tournament victory in six starts.
The World Number Two added a 65 to his opening 64 for a 15 under par total of 129 to move four shots clear of Australia’s Robert Allenby and Greg Owen of England, who both matched Els’s opening 64, while Australian Stephen Leaney and Jean-Francois Remesy of France shared fourth on nine under par 135.
Ironically, Els seemed to have let his chance of leading slip with a tepid front nine of level par 36 which saw Allenby and Owen both move past him but, turning for home, he truly lit the blue touch paper for the second day running.
In the first round, Els started from the tenth and covered the nine holes in 29 and, incredibly, he repeated the feat in the second round, five birdies and an eagle his haul from the defenceless tenth to 18th stretch.
“I have done a lot of things in golf but I have never scored 29 on the same nine holes two days running, it is quite something,” he said. “I didn’t go out there with that aim but it just happened. My game must just really suit those stretch of holes so I must thank the designer for designing them that way!”
Highlight of the run was his eight iron tee shot at the short 12th which finished a mere two inches from the pin, but from start to finish, it was a magical period of golf for the large crowds to witness, right down to his final birdie putt from 30 feet on the 18th green.
“I didn’t feel quite right with my game on the front nine but I just tried to stay patient,” said Els. “I didn’t want to force it, I just tried to get my rhythm back and when I two putted for birdie on the 11th and then almost holed my tee shot at the 12th, I was off and running.”
Els’s closest challengers Allenby and Owen both followed up their opening rounds of 69 with excellent 64s for an 11 under par total of 133.
US PGA Tour player Allenby was flawless in his second round, starting at the tenth hole and recording eight birdies in total. Owen did bogey the 16th hole after three-putting but more than made amends elsewhere with seven birdies and an eagle three at the 531 yard 15th.
Allenby, who finished fourth in the Sony Open on the US PGA Tour last month, said: “I have been hitting the ball very well since the start of the year and have continued that this week. I’ve had the last two weeks off and am feeling very fresh and strong.
“I think this year is going to be a good year. I have my swing right where I want it and I’m hitting a lot of good shots.”
The best of the day for the 31 year old from Melbourne came at the tricky 438 yard 16th where his eight iron second shot finished a mere inch from the cup, but his six iron tee shot at the short fifth, which finished only three feet from the hole was another contender.
Owen, whose best finishes on The European Tour have been four third places, moved into good position to win for the first time, but admitted he was changing his thought process in an attempt to bag his maiden title.
“Everyone always asks your goals for the year and for people like me, the answer usually is, ‘to win a tournament’. Well I’m not thinking like that this year, I’ve thought it for the last three years and it’s done me no good at all.
“All I’m going to do this year is try to do the right things on and off the golf course and if I work hard, practice correctly and train hard, I’ll leave it in the lap of the gods as to what happens.”
Like Allenby and Owen, fourth placed Leaney and Remesy also matched each other score for score, the duo adding 67s to their opening 68s for 135.
