O'Malley and Parsons lead Australian Masters,
Woods seven back
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - While Tiger Woods closed meekly
with a pair of bogeys, Australians Peter O'Malley and Lucas Parsons
raced to a seven-stroke advantage over the American star in the
Australian Masters.
O'Malley, who said the publicity surrounding Woods "fired
everyone up," shot a 7-under-par 66 today, while Parsons
had a 67 for 15-under 131 totals on the demanding Huntingdale
layout. Woods finished with a 70.
"You must drive the ball in the fairway," Woods said.
"Most golf courses you can get away with misses. Here you'd
get away with a mis-hit maybe once. The second time you are going
to pay.
"I've found that as it is getting hotter and drier, the
ball is starting to run into the rough. They are starting to bounce
and roll. That means you have to be even more precise."
Woods, coming off a hectic week in Thailand that ended with
a 10-stroke victory in the Asian Honda Classic, is seeking his
fifth victory in 14 professional starts and trying to win on a
third continent this year.
"The greens are very hard to read," Woods said. "I
was talking to Brett Ogle out there today and he was telling me
that it takes years to understand these greens. You have to know
that certain putts won't do what it looks like they will do."
While Woods and Ogle - who missed the cut with rounds of 78
and 74 - struggled with the greens, O'Malley took advantage of
the conditions for the best 36-hole total of his career.
"The greens are nowhere near as hard as they normally
are and they are not as fast yet," O'Malley said. "It
is conducive to hitting shots and not seeing them bounce as they
usually do."
Parsons, who matched the course record Thursday with a 64,
picked up a stroke on the front nine and had five straight birdies
on Nos. 10-14.
"I think I played better today than I did yesterday,"
said Parsons, who did not miss a green in regulation. "When
you shoot 9-under in the first round it's very hard to keep going,
so I'm very happy to be where I am."
Australia's Shane Tait (67) and Canada's Rick Gibson (68) were
tied for third at 135, while Australia's Robert Allenby (66) followed
at 136. American Larry Mize, the 1987 U.S. Masters champion, shot
a 70 to join Woods at 138.
Allenby, paired with Woods and Ogle for the first two rounds,
was incensed earlier in the week when asked if he was playing
for second.
"Everything's Tiger, Tiger, Tiger. There are other players
in the field," said Allenby, a three-time winner last year
on European tour. "I'm only satisfied that I played well,
not that I finished two shots in front of Tiger."
|
