Parry, Rumsford share second-round lead in Australia  PGA TOUR Staff ADELAIDE, Australia -- Prior to the start of this week's Jacob's Creek Open Championship, veteran Craig Parry said he favored fellow Aussie Brett Rumford to win the title at the Kooyonga Golf Club. Parry will get a first-hand look at Rumford's game after they wound up tied for the 36-hole lead Friday and will be paired together for Saturday's third round. 
Parry posted an 8-under-par 64 to get to 9-under par and was joined minutes later by Rumford, who rolled in a nine-foot birdie putt on the closing hole for a round of 69 and a share of the top spot. Australians Greg Chalmers and 47-year old Peter Senior are one shot back along with Brad Ott of the United States heading into the weekend of the $600,000 event being co-sanctioned by the Nationwide Tour and the Australasian Tour. American Roger Tambellini heads up a group of five players at 7-under, two off the pace being set in the near-100 degree heat. Parry moved to the top of the standings because he was able to fix some putting problems following Thursday's opening round when he hit 17 greens but needed 35 smacks with the flat stick for a 1-under-par 71. "My caddie and I worked on it. He kept reminding me that I needed to get the ball to the hole," said Parry, who used only 24 in round two. "It paid dividends today." Parry rolled in eight birdie putts during his second round, including four from 15 feet and another from 20 feet. His birdie on the closing hole helped him tie the course record equaled by first-round leader David Lutterus. Parry, prognosticator that he is, will certainly feel like the favorite this weekend. The 41-year old has been playing in this event for 24 years and won this title on this golf course in 1999. "I've always been warmly welcomed by the people of Adelaide," said Parry, who hails from Sydney, some 750 miles away. "It's a tournament and golf course I love coming to. We've been here so many times I feel like a member." Rumford, a 29-year old from the western city of Perth, is a conditional member on the Nationwide Tour this year and a two-time winner on the European Tour, where he has been a member since 2001. "It was pretty scrappy early out there today but I held it together," he said after hitting only eight fairways and saving par from greenside bunkers three times. "I didn't putt all that well. It's just a shame to miss two or three putts and wind up turning a very good round into a so-so round. All in all I'm still right there." Rumford headed to the practice tee to try fix some glitches that have popped up with his driver, a club that has resulted in too many shots to the left. "The driver is the only club in my bag that's been giving me problems," he said. "This golf course doesn't require driver on every hole. You play four or five holes and then have to hit a shot that demands accuracy. It's just something I need to work on." Copyright 2007 PGATOUR.com. All rights reserved. |
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