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 With the top 111 players on the order of merit on Sunday
confirmed to keep their cards for next season, Whiteford, currently
149th, needs at least a top-two finish in Perth.
He took a firm step forward towards doing that by matching his
first-round score to get to 12-under, one shot ahead of overnight
joint leader Thorbjorn Olesen, who carded a 69.
Starting on the back nine, Whiteford made the turn on 35 and then
scorched the course with three more birdies and an eagle on the
seventh.
"I played great and felt like I got what I deserved -- it's not
often you say that in golf," Whiteford, who has had just one top 10
finish this season, said. "You're always thinking you could've done
better, but that eagle made me feel a lot better.
 "This week it's no holds barred -- win or bust. I'm very nervous,
there's no doubt about that. I've got to just keep attacking.
"I don't want to go back to school -- nobody does -- but I get what
I deserve in this game, and I've been awful all year. It's nice that
the form is coming back later on in the year."
Sihwan Kim of South Korea, who is also fighting to save his Tour
card, was third on 10-under after carding a 68.
England's James Morrison matched Olesen and John Wade's Lake
Karrinyup course record with a 63 to lie tied fourth with David
Drysdale of Scotland.
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The 24-year-old Olesen mixed four birdies with his first bogey of
the week coming at the 18th hole.
"It's always tough to come back after a great round," said Olesen.
"To shoot another good round is tough. I felt like I played solid
out there and gave myself a lot of chances for birdie, especially on
the front nine.
"I had a few lip-outs, but the pins were a little bit trickier today
and it made to a bit trickier with the putter.
"So I'm happy with the way I played; I hit a lot of greens and
that's important here." (Writing by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai;
editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
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