American leads Moonah Classic by 3 strokes
FINGAL, Australia - It is not unusual for a record-breaking round to be followed the next day by a less than rousing one. That was not the case Friday with American Jim Herman in the second round of the Nationwide Tour’s Moonah Classic in Australia.After shooting a flawless first-round 62 to set a new Moonah Links course record and grab a four-shot lead, the former Donald Trump employee added a 2-under-par 70 in very windy conditions to maintain the lead by three shots.
Aussie Steven Jones is Herman’s closest pursuer. The 25-year-old posted the day’s low score of 67 to finish at 9-under-par 135.
Two players are tied at 4-under, Andrew Buckle of Australia and Fabian Gomez of Argentina, with identical two-day tallies of 69-68-137.
A pair of Aussies, Steven Bowditch and Andre Stolz, join Canadian Jon Mills and Doug LaBelle of the U.S. in a tie for fifth at 6-under-par 138.
The 32-year-old Herman missed the first three greens but saved par on each with putts from 4-feet. His other par save came on the 15th hole. Birdie putts were produced from 15 feet and 4 feet on the 6th and 14thholes, respectively. Additional birdie opportunities of 15 feet or less on the first four holes of the back nine were not converted.
The winds that are so familiar to the Mornington Peninsula south of Melbourne picked up considerably on Friday producing scores that were almost two shots higher on average than Thursday.
“Friday was a totally different game,” the leader said. “The wind really picked up on the back nine. It was tough out there. I definitely made more putts yesterday. I may have used them all up.”
Herman, who spent two years as an assistant professional at Trump National in northern New Jersey, has been bogey-free over the first 36 holes. He had 10 birdies yesterday and added two more Friday.
Despite the 16-hour time difference, Herman received much encouragement from family and friends in Florida and elsewhere in the States after his first round. “I got lots of emails of congratulations…but not from Mr. Trump. I’m sure my former boss is keeping him informed.”
A non-winner in two full seasons on the PGA Tour’s official proving ground, the Cincinnati, Ohio native had a strong start in 2009 with a tie for 4th in Panama and a 3rdin New Zealand, his Tour best, in the first four events of the year, only to fade in the second half. Herman missed the cut in his last six events to fall out of the top-60, which is the cutoff for fully-exempt and conditional Tour status. He was a last-minute addition to the Moonah field when a fellow Nationwide Tour member withdrew a few days prior to departure from America to New Zealand two weeks ago. Herman missed the cut there last week.
“I didn’t have a lot of good vibes at the end of last year.” The birth of his first child, a girl, in October and having an off-season to refresh himself has buoyed the likeable Herman this week at Moonah.
Like the player he is chasing, Jones is seeking his first Tour win at this level.
A resident of Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, Jones has won a number of lower-tier events in Australia while aspiring to make a name for himself among the PGA Tour of Australasia’s elite. His resume also includes a victory on the Gateway Tour in Arizona in the U.S.
The 156-player Moonah Classic is co-sanctioned by the Nationwide Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia, with the field split evenly between the two Tours.
Second-Round Notes:
* Moonah Links played decidedly more difficult on Friday at 73.799 vs. Thursday’s 71.855.
* The first round produced 21 eagles and 537 birdies….the second round just 3 eagles and 395 birdies.
* 75 players shot +1 or better to make the 36-hole cut.
* It’s not often that par-5s play over par in professional golf played at this level. Two holes at Moonah have slightly over-par averages after two rounds – the 2ndand 4th, with the 18th just a shade under par at 4.95 and the 15th playing to an average of 4.89.
* Defending Moonah Classic champion Alistair Presnell is tied for 17th after rounds of 71-70.
* Last week’s Michael Hill New Zealand Open champion Robert Gates posted a 72 Friday to go along with yesterday’s 71. He is tied for 37th at 1-under.
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