Sweden’s Niclas Fasth had a day to remember in the second round of the Holden New Zealand Open. Despite playing in the afternoon when conditions were at their toughest, the former Ryder Cup player equalled the Gulf Harbour Country Club course record with a nine under par 63 to storm into the lead at the halfway stage.
The 32 year old, winner of the Madeira Island Open in 2000, finished on 16 under par 128, two shots clear of England’s Miles Tunnicliff, who also carded 63 for 14 under par 130, while Challenge Tour graduate Oliver Wilson took third on 131 after a second round 65.
A freshening breeze and light rain had threatened to make scoring more difficult for the later starters but Fasth made a mockery of the conditions, notching a personal first too when he posted three eagles during his 18 holes.
Starting at the first in the joint sanctioned event with the Australasian Tour, Fasth birdied the second and eagled the sixth to be out in 33. He then holed from 35ft for eagle on the 11th and holed a bunker shot from 25 yards on the next for another eagle.
“I did not realise I'd had three eagles today and it is certainly the first time I have had two in a row,” he said. “It was certainly a bit windier today and playing tougher but I played very well and things seemed to go right.”
After Madeira, Fasth sprang to prominence by finishing second to David Duval in the 2001 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes, a performance which helped earn his place on the Ryder Cup Team which triumphed at The Belfry in 2002.
"At that time I was on top of scoring and fighting but I have never been this strong before when it comes to the basics. I played really well in the pro-am and was almost flawless today. You have to believe in what you are doing. If you get down on yourself it takes more to turn it around.”
Malaga resident Tunnicliff, winner of the Diageo Championship at Gleneagles in 2004, had an uneventful start, a birdie and bogey in his first four holes, but then the hot streak started with a birdie at the fifth and an eagle at the sixth, the result of a drive, a superb five iron second iron and a fourfoot putt.
After that it was all smooth sailing for the 36 year old, who carded six more birdies and no bogeys, his final two birdies coming at the 17th and 18th for his 63 and his 14 under par total of 130. At that point the Englishman looked a good bet to lead at the end of the day, before Fasth’s afternoon intervention.
“To be honest I had not been playing that well coming into this tournament,” he admitted. “It is only my third event of the season and I was a bit rusty but I started feeling more comfortable on Thursday and got the putter working and that made the difference.
"The last few holes were pretty tough with the wind starting to blow. This course needs wind to protect it and it changes the course completely. If you miss it on the wrong side of the green you can have an impossible chip shot."
Third placed Wilson, who claimed the 15th and final card available from the 2004 Challenge Tour Rankings, did not drop a shot in his cultured second round 65. He had seven birdies in total, his final one coming his 65 and his seventh was through a good putt at the last.
The 24 year old Englishman had to withdraw from the Heineken Classic last week after suffering a throat infection in Singapore en route to Australia.
“They thought it was pneumonia and I had to go to hospital,” he said. “I was in bed all week and didn’t get to practice. I finished the first round but decided it was best not to continue. But it is great to be so close to the lead. I am not too used to it so it is all a bit of a new experience.”
On a fine day for scoring at the Auckland venue, Australian left-hander Richard Green joined Fasth and Tunnicliff in equalling the course record 63 in the afternoon, moving him into a tie for sixth place on 11 under par 133.
Green, still on a high after catching a 6lb schnapper on a fishing trip the previous night, reeled in the birdies on the golf course also especially on the front nine which he covered in 29 majestic blows.
``I can’t remember shooting a score as low as that since I was lad when I shot 28 or 29 at Huntingdale. It was a great feeling to carry through the back nine which is a lot tougher.’’
The cut fell at four under par 140 with 79 players left to contend the weekend action.
