COOLUM, Australia, Dec 14 - An unheralded former security guard from China and a local hero inspired by his terminally ill father shared the lead on Friday after two rounds of the Australian PGA Championship, presented by Coca-Cola.
Overnight leader Daniel Popovic carded a 70 to go with his opening 64, while Zhang Xinjun had a second 67 to leave the pair at 10 under for the tournament and two shots clear of the field.
The A$1.5 million tournament -- the season finale for both OneAsia and the PGA Tour of Australasia -- is being played at the Palmer Coolum Resort on the Sunshine Coast.
Keeping alive his hopes of snatching the OneAsia Order of Merit title, Matthew Griffin (67) shares third place with 2006 U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy (69), a winner here in 2008.
Fellow Aussies Matthew Goggin (66), Steven Bowditch (67) and Brad Kennedy (68) are fifth, a further stroke behind.
The cut was set at plus one.
Popovic, 26, played flawless golf in the morning and stretched his lead to five shots until a double-bogey on the 15th -- the same hole he recorded his only dropped shot of the first round.
"That 15th hole, I can’t get my head around it actually -- it is really tough judging the wind there," he said.
"It was a mind blank there’s no explanation for it apart from I just wasn’t in the shot."
Popovic revealed on Thursday that he almost gave up golf after his father was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, but was inspired to keep playing in pursuit of a victory for him.
He hadn't yet been able to speak to his father about his performance so far because he was in hospital having blood tests, but said his mother was a bundle of nerves.
"My mum was beside herself. She actually told me that she couldn’t watch she was just too nervous, but she was in tears and saw the final score so they were very happy."
While Popovic was taught to play by his father as a child, Zhang's journey to the halfway lead couldn't be more different.
Hailing from a village near the old Tang dynasty capital of Xi'an in western China, Zhang left school at 15 and set his sights on becoming a security guard, hopeful the 600 renminbi ($95) monthly paycheck would help support his farmer parents.
When his first assignment after completing three months of basic training was to a golf course, the impressionable youngster was immediately struck by the strange, foreign game and before long he was spending all his spare time on the driving range.
"I never thought I would become a pro golfer and play full time on a golf tour," said the 25-year-old.
"When I picked up a golf club, the best I could hope for was to maybe become a coach and earn my living by teaching golf."
On Friday he was giving the big names a lesson, with eight birdies -- including a run of four in-a-row -- offset by three bogeys.
Ogilvy, who had won the U.S. Open when Zhang was just learning the game, was also happy with his performance.
"I feel like I am in a good place. I think I like how I am playing and I am obviously quite comfortable on this golf course."
Defending champion Greg Chalmers and Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke both shot 69s to ensure they'd be playing the weekend, while Rory Sabbatini slipped under the wire with a second-round 68 following an opening 76.
Nick Cullen and Park Sang-hyun, who could have won the OneAsia Order of Merit title had they triumphed this weekend, both missed the cut.
Indonesia's number 1 player Rory Hie, who shot 71 on day 1, saw his chances for a weekend appearance fade when he made double bogeys on the 1st and 6th hole, followed by bogeys on 7 and 8. Although he managed to counter with 4 birdies, another bogey on the final hole meant he missed the cut by just one stroke.
Scores after round two of the Australian PGA Championship, presented by Coca-Cola, being played at the par 72, 6,114-metres (6.686-yard) Palmer Coolum Resort course:
134 - Daniel Popovic (AUS) 64-70, Zhang Xin Jun (CHN) 67-67.
136 - Geoff Ogilvy (AUS) 67-69, Matthew Griffin (AUS) 69-67.
137 - Mathew Goggin (AUS) 71-66, Steven Bowditch (AUS) 70-67, Brad Kennedy (AUS) 69-68.
138 - Rod Pampling (AUS) 71-67, Peter Senior (AUS) 68-70.
139 - Stephen Leaney (AUS) 69-70, Steve Conran (AUS) 69-70, Matthew Millar (AUS) 73-66, Richard Green (AUS) 71-68, Darren Clarke (NIR) 70-69, Leigh McKechnie (AUS) 70-69, Jason Kang (USA) 70-69, Kurt Barnes (AUS) 74-65, Scott Strange (AUS) 66-73, Marc Leishman (AUS) 69-70, Jamie Arnold (AUS) 71-68.
Selected:
146 - Rory Hie (INA) 71-75.
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