Michael On
Min Woo Lee tapped in for an eagle at the last to take a three-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Australian Open on Friday and remain on course to back up last week's title at the Australian PGA Championships.
Conor Purcell is best placed of the Irish involved, a second-round 71 leaving the 26-year-old on four-under par, eight shots adrift of Lee.
The Portmarnock man was left to rue double-bogeys at the third and seventh, but a stronger back nine sees him in a tie for 27th.
Mark Power is a shot further back after posting a 73. Despite a bogey at his last (ninth) Tom McKibbin snuck inside the cut after a 69. The 20-year-old will start the third round on -2.
Australian Lee, however, is the man to catch and had the galleries at The Australian course purring when he crunched a nine-iron out of the pine-needle scrub to within two feet of the pin at the 18th.
The putt was never in doubt and the 25-year-old added a seven-under-par 64 to his opening round of 67 at the neighbouring Lakes course to move to 12-under for the tournament, three shots clear of Scot Connor Syme (70) and American Patrick Rodgers (70).
"It's always nice to make an eagle whenever, but on the last hole, it's even nicer," Lee said after signing for six birdies, a bogey and the eagle.
Former British Open champion Cameron Smith played in the same group as Lee and stood eight shots off the pace after carding a three-under 68, a vast improvement on last week when he tearfully missed the cut at the Australian PGA.
The novel format of the Australian Open has men and women competing for their respective titles on the same layouts over two courses, although weekend play will be limited to The Australian.
Lee's older sister, double major winner Minjee, was playing in the group behind him on Friday and the whole family was at the course to cheer them on.
Korean Shin Jiyai shot a four-under 68 at The Australian to finish two shots ahead of reigning champion Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa at the halfway stage of the women's event.
Joint overnight leader Rachel Lee, the 16-year-old amateur who only qualified for the event on Monday, endured a much tougher second round, plummeting down the leaderboard with a seven-over-par 79 to sit one-over heading into the third round.
Minjee Lee was in share of 11th on one over.
