Owen loses lead

Press, 12 November 1977, Page 56

Owen loses lead

NZPA Melbourne The Gold Coast was to the fore in the second round of the $lOO,OOO Telecom Australian P.G.A. title at Yarra Mike Ferguson snatched the outright tournament lead! while a fellow Queenslander,] Randall Vines, made certain, the spotlight was firmly fixed on the north with a spectacular eight-under-par 64.

The joint overnight leader,! Simon Owen (New Zealand), who was four under after a 68 on Thursday, slipped back two shots with 74, but is still only four shots off

The other overnight leader, Rob McNaughton (Victoria) lost his lead over the front nine and faded further with early bogeys on the homeward nine.

i Ferguson, 25, battling tendon trouble and a chipped bone in his right ribs, shot a five-under-par 67 to jump to six under after two rounds. Vines’s 64 lifted him into fourth place, three strokes off the lead.

Mike Cahill (Victoria) birdied the final hole to occupy second place, five under the card, while just a shot behind in third is a Tasmanian, David Good — winner of Wednesday’s Pro Am — and Peter Headland (New South Wales). Ferguson, forced to favour [his left hand, frequently found his tee shots astray and three times headed off into the trees. But he made i fine recovery shots. i His only mistake in a II round which included six birdies was a bogey six at the 483 metre par five ninth. But whatever he lacked

off the tee he more than made up with his short game and putting. Mark Lye (United States) was disqualified from the tournament yesterday after refusing to sign his secondround card.

The 24-year-o!d American stormed from the eighteenth green yelling “no return” to startled P.G.A. officials after he had struggled to a six-over-par 78. At one stage the American hurled a club away, tried to rip his hat in two and then tried to snap his putter across his knee.

The leading Australian international, Graham Marsh, turned in a disappointing 74 to be square with the card. Marsh has been named ’’Rookie of the Year” on the United States professional tour by "Golf Digest” magazine.