Auckland professional Mason Lee has stormed to the top of the Wallace Development NZPGA Championship leaderboard after a couple of scintillating rounds at Hastings Golf Club to lead by four.
The 26-year-old from Royal Auckland and Grange has fired 65 and 66 to be 13-under-par to lead the 92-player field at the midway point, making just one bogey through 36 holes, leading a group of three players at nine under.
Scoring has been electric to begin the PGA of New Zealand’s marquee event, with 38 players shooting par or better and the cut being made at two-over-par.
However, they’re all chasing Lee, who won the Huapai Pro-Am earlier in the year, picking up where he left off yesterday with a birdie at the par 5 first to begin his second round. After four pars in a row, he took advantage of another par 5, eagling the sixth to get to 10-under, and made the turn in three-under for his round.
Coming home, he added another three birdies for the third-best round of the day, bettered only by Luke Toomey who shot an eight-under-64, and Steven Heyes, who shot a seven-under-65.
Lee says he’s played well this year and is happy with his position entering the weekend.
“The game feels really solid. Hopefully, I’m able to shoot another couple of rounds like my first two over the weekend – that would be great.
“I’ve played stress-free golf so far, aside from a couple of wide ones, but I recovered quite well.”
In the group of three players at nine-under is Waitangi Golf Club’s Pieter Zwart, who leads the Cello NZPGA Club Professionals Championship by four over Steven Heyes.
Like Lee, the former Hastings Golf Club member was blemish-free in his second round of five-under-67 following his 68 yesterday, making a couple of birdies going out at the 11th and 12th, before adding three more coming home at the fourth, sixth, and eighth.
He’s very complimentary of his former home course, and is looking forward to the weekend.
“My good play was reflected in my score today – I didn’t make a bogey today. I’m not too flustered as I’ve played here many times before and used to be a member. Just knowing the places where I need to put the ball and knowing where not to go certainly helps.
“The greens are immaculate – I haven’t seen them this smooth and fast before.
“Winning the Cello NZPGA Club Professional Championship would be great. That would be a nice feather in the cap and great for the club professionals to have something to play for separate to the championship.”
Joining him on nine-under is DP World Tour player Sam Jones and Auckland amateur Robby Turnbull, with Kazuma Kobori and joint round one leader Sung Jin Yeo a further stroke back at eight-under.
However, today’s big mover was Luke Toomey, who bounced back from his 74 in round one with an eight-under-64 today to climb 32 places to equal tenth.
Toomey says there wasn’t too much difference between his first and second round, and hopes things click as much as they did today over the final two rounds.
“I got the better side of chance today more than anything. I had so many shots yesterday that ended about a metre off the fairway and the tough lies makes it hard to judge and hit approach shots close, especially with greens that are this fast.
“I feel like I’ve been playing good the last few weeks – the ball striking was really close yesterday, and I just had the better side of chance as I said.”
51 players made the two-round cut, including seven of the nine amateurs.
Rounds three and four will be played in a Pro-Am format, similar to the New Zealand Open last week.
Play begins at 8.30 am tomorrow.
Wallace Developments NZPGA Championship live scoring