Coolum - Tour rookie Daniel Popovic maintained a share of the lead after Friday's second round of the Australian PGA while former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy, chasing a possible Masters berth for next year, closed on the leaders.
Popovic, who nearly gave up golf earlier this year to care for his seriously ill father, followed his opening 64 with a 70 on Friday, including a double-bogey seven on the par-5 15th.
The first-round leader is level on 10-under 134 with Chinese national team member Zhang Xinjun (67), two shots clear of their nearest rivals at the Palmer Coolum resort course.
Zhang had a one-stroke lead twice in the closing holes, but bogeys on two of his final three dropped him into a tie with Popovic going into the weekend.
Ogilvy (69) and Matthew Griffin (67) were tied for third. Fellow Australians Matt Goggin (66) and Steven Bowditch (67) were among those tied for fifth, three strokes behind.
Former British Open champion Darren Clarke shot 69 and was five strokes off the lead.
Ogilvy, the 2006 US Open winner, is aiming to finish in the top 50 year-end world rankings which would guarantee him a spot in next year's US Masters. Current projections show Ogilvy would have to finish third or better at Coolum.
"I don't know if it has to be first to get into the top 50, but it probably has to be first two or three," Ogilvy said. "I don't study world rankings that much. But that would be a bonus, winning the tournament would be the best part, but if that was a side bonus that would be good."
"I feel like I am in a good place. It's nice I will be in one of the last few groups tomorrow and if I can have a good score, maybe get right up there after tomorrow and give it a crack on Sunday."
Popovic found out earlier this year that his father, Radi, is suffering from a form of incurable bone cancer. He said his father, in hospital undergoing blood tests, was in tears after his opening round, and expected more of the same on Friday.
His double bogey on 15 came innocently enough: over the green with a shot he thought he hit perfectly - until the wind dropped.
"I can't get my head around it, it is really tough judging the wind, behind the green there's a bunch of trees that are pretty tall," Popovic said.
"We (he and his caddie) just sort of looked at each other completely bamboozled. Then we didn't have the best lie, there was a lot of into the grain, the grass growing into the ball and then I just completely stuffed it up."
Zhang said through a translator that he's becoming more confident as he plays the course more. Last year, he watched the PGA at Coolum on television from China.
"I felt good today, I am getting used to this layout and to the wind," Zhang said.
Asked how he communicates with his non-Mandarin speaking caddie, Zhang said: "I've learned some English, mostly related to golf, like 'how do you think this breaks'?"
Bowditch, who grew up locally and his family still lives at nearby Peregian Beach, says he's taken plenty of confidence from securing his U.S. PGA Tour card for next year at the recent qualifying school in California.
His final round on the Monday was nerve-wracking when he went to 3-over on the day early and was dropping quickly out of the top 25 that secure their cards for 2013.
"Q School
is one of the most demanding golf events I have ever had to play,"
Bowditch said. "I just got off to a bad start and it was going sideways,
going downhill really quick. I learned a lot about myself in that back
nine. It was more pressure than I have ever had in any given time at any
moment."
134 - Daniel Popovic 64-70, Zhang Xin Jun (CHN) 67-67
136 - Geoff Ogilvy 67-69, Matthew Griffin 69-67
137 - Mathew Goggin 71-66, Steven Bowditch 70-67, Brad Kennedy 69-68
138 - Rod Pampling 71-67, Peter Senior 68-70
139 - Stephen Leaney 69-70, Steve Conran 69-70, Matthew Millar 73-66, Richard Green 71-68, Darren Clarke (NIR) 70-69, Leigh McKechnie 70-69, Jason Kang (USA) 70-69, Kurt Barnes 74-65, Scott Strange 66-73, Marc Leishman 69-70, Jamie Arnold 71-68
140 - Cameron Percy 70-70, Brendan Jones 73-67, Robert Allenby 73-67, Peter Fowler 70-70, Bronson La'Cassie 69-71, Stephen Dartnall 68-72, Heath Reed 72-68
141 - Adam Crawford 70-71, Anthony Brown 73-68, Josh Geary (NZL) 69-72, Greg Chalmers 72-69, Ryan Haller 68-73, Peter O'Malley 73-68
Selected scores
142 - Choo Tze-Huang (SIN) 67-75
143 - Choi Joon-Woo (KOR) 74-69
144 - Park Hyo-Won (KOR) 71-73, Park Ju-Hyuk (KOR) 77-67, Yi Cao (CHN) 73-71, Rory Sabbatini (RSA) 76-68, Kim Do-Hoon (KOR) 73-71
145 - Pravee Visalkt (THA) 74-71, Li Xinyang (CHN) 72-73
Missed cut
146 - Rory Hie (INA) 71-75, Garrett Sapp (USA) 73-73
147 - Huang Wen-Yi (CHN) 74-73
149 - He Ze-Yu (CHN) 78-71
150 - Masahiro Kawamura (JPN) 78-72, Simon Yates (SCO) 78-72, Chen Jian (CHN)
151 - Supravee Phatam (THA) 82-69
152 - Thomas Petersson (SWE) 78-74, Park Min-Jun (KOR) 78-74 Park Sang Hyun (KOR) 79-73
154 - Masaya Tomida (JPN) 74-80
155 - Choi Seong-Jin (KOR) 79-76, Park Sung-Hyuk (KOR) 78-77
157 - Jin Daxing (CHN) 75-82, Da Quan (CHN) 80-77
158 - Tanutchan Puaktes (THA) 79-79, Son Joon-Eob (KOR) 79-79
159 - Will Yanigasawa (USA) 81-78
160 - Wisut Artjanawat (THA) 77-83