Golf: US ten shots ahead of Scots in Australia
Just four off the pace at the start of the day at Royal Melbourne, Stephen Gallacher and Martin Laird now have a fight on their hands in their bid to repeat the 2007 victory claimed by Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren.
Gallacher signed for a level-par 71 that saw him follow four birdies with a bogey straight afterwards on each occasion.
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Hide AdIt lifted the Lothians man three places into a joint-35th in the individual event, the main focus in a revamped $8 million tournament this year.
Laird, who had opened with a four-under 67 to sit joint-second, dropped a shot at the last for a 72 to slip down to fifth.
Winners in China two years ago, the United States stepped up their bid to retain the title by opening up a three-shot lead over Denmark at halfway.
It followed Matt Kuchar carding a 68, one better than team-mate Kevin Streelman.
Dane Thomas Bjorn, who followed his opening 66 with a 68 to sit on eight-under, leads Streelman by one in the individual event.
Australia’s Jason Day and Ricardo Santos from Portugal are joint-third on four-under.
Streelman had surged four shots clear in the early stages of the second day, but paid a high price for a thinned bunker shot on the ninth hole, where he made a double bogey.
Despite opening and a closing with a bogey, Björn was again delighted with the control he exerted over what he termed “one of the top three courses in the world”.
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Hide AdThe 42-year-old added: “There were a couple of things that happened on the golf course today that really tested me. I three-putted the first, so got caught a little bit there.
“But after that I patiently worked my way into the round and played very solid. Maybe not quite as good as yesterday on the front nine, but on the back nine I played awesome.
“Obviously it was disappointing to bogey the last, but if you’d askedme when the ball was in the air, I would’ve said you couldn’t have hit a better golf shot.
“But you have got to take that on this course. Some bounces go your way, and some go against you on this course. Maybe I was a bit unfortunate, but I have to remember that I played some really, really good stuff on that back nine.”
Masters champion Adam Scott shot a second-round 68 to move into a tie for 21st on one-over.