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 Newsroom Taranaki Open Christchurch professional Ryan Haywood extended his lead at the halfway stage of the Olex Taranaki Golf Open in New Plymouth today. Haywood recovered from a slow start, firing three birdies in the last four holes to finish with a two-under par 70 at the New Plymouth Golf Club. He has a 36-hole total of six-under par 138 to give him a three shot lead over pre-tournament favourite Tim Wilkinson from Manawatu. The Olex Taranaki Open is the first Golf Tour of New Zealand events, a new initiative founded by top Kiwi golfer Greg Turner, which provides competition for New Zealand's elite players, both amateur and professional. Thirty professionals are vying for the $40,000 prizemoney, with both the New Zealand women's and men's teams competing as a final shakedown before next month's Espirito Santo and Eisenhower World Teams Championships in Puerto Rico. The leading amateur is Taihape's Hamish Robertson, in third place on 143, one-under par, one shot ahead of professionals Mark Brown (Wellington), Carl Brooking (Canterbury) and Nick Davey (Rotorua). Three players, amateurs Dimitrios Amos (Wellington), Guy Penrose (Cambridge) and Regan MacRae (New Plymouth) share seventh place with a one-over par 145. The leading woman is Espirito Santo representative Sarah Nicholson with an eight-over 152, after a strong second round one-over 73 in windy conditions. Haywood, the Christchurch-based Australian who has played No 1 for the Canterbury Amateur team over the past two years, three-putted the first hole and was still one-over at the turn. He showed his real grit with birdies at the 15th, 17th and 18th for his second round in red figures. Wilkinson, on the other hand, started with enterprise to turn two-under par but struggled on the way home, dropping shots at the 12th, 14th and 17th before a long two-putt gave him a birdie at the last for an even-par 72. Robertson, the former New Zealand Amateur runner-up who has recently moved to Mt Maunganui, fired a one-under par 71 at the Ngamotu links course today to be one-under par after 36 holes. The best of the second round scores was Brooking who produced a stunning opening nine holes with five birdies on the way to a five-under par 67, which was 10 shots ahead of his first round. Amos was another to impress, scoring five birdies on the way to a three-under par 69 after his first round 76. New Zealand Eisenhower Trophy representative Riki Kauika (Wanganui) fired a one-under 71 on the back of three birdies and two bogeys and some prodigious length off the tee to improve to four-over par 148. Another to enjoy improved fortunes was Wellington professional Mark Brown, who also fired a one-under 71 with four birdies and three bogeys to finish on even-par 144 and very much in contention. He will be ruing his quadruple bogey nine on his penultimate hole in horrendous conditions in the first round. The cut of 96 players included 27 professionals and 69 amateurs, including six women.
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