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Major winner Hannah Green led the women's component of the
inaugural dual gender event after firing a six-under 66 at
Victoria Golf Club, with South Korea's former world number one
Shin Jiyai lurking two shots behind.
With his putter on fire on a sun-drenched afternoon, 2009
champion Scott capped his bogey-free round by curling in an
eagle putt from off Victoria's 18th green to trigger a huge roar
from the gallery.
The former world number one strutted to the clubhouse two
strokes adrift of overnight leader David Micheluzzi, but the
unheralded local surrendered the outright lead with bogeys on 16
and 18 at Kingston Heath, the other of the two courses in play.
Scott and Micheluzzi, who shot a second round 71, were tied on
an eight-under total of 134, three strokes ahead of American
Gunner Wiebe, New Zealand's Josh Geary and Western Australian
Haydn Barron.
After a bogey-strewn 71 at Kingston Heath on Thursday, Scott
said he toned down the aggression.
"I really felt like I had to .... not take any chances, not push
anything. If it was tricky at all, to play safe," he told
reporters.
"I executed most of the day."
A wayward Smith teed off in the morning and flirted with an
early exit as he laboured through a second consecutive one-over
round.
His 73 at Kingston Heath on Friday was weighed down by five
bogeys, leaving him right on the cut-line at two-over.
With a second cut after Saturday leaving only the top 30 players
for Sunday, Smith has plenty of ground to make up.
Melbourne has been a big come-down for Smith after claiming his
third Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane on Sunday, a
triumphant return home after three COVID-interrupted years.
"I think it’s just kind of all hit me at once and just got a
little bit tired," said Smith, whose new fame as a major winner
has turned his life upside down in Australia.
"Yeah, a lot’s changed in the three years since I’ve been here.
Just going to shops and dinner and stuff is a lot different.
"It gets frustrating at times, but it is what it is."
Australian Green also finished with a flourish, rolling in
birdies on the 16th and 18th after an eagle on the par-four 15th
to keep Shin (68) at bay.
"I felt like I hit pretty much everywhere I wanted to," said
Green, the 2019 Women's PGA Championship winner.
British Open champion Ashleigh Buhai shot a 69 at Kingston Heath
to be four strokes behind Green in a group on seven-under with
South Korea's former world number one Ryu So-yeon (69).
Home favourite Minjee Lee, the world number four, was two shots
further back on five-under after a 70 at Kingston Heath.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter
Rutherford)
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