Mount Maunganui resident Mark Brown joined an exclusive club when he shot an astonishing round of 11-under 59 to storm into the lead halfway through the second round of the Carrus Open at the Tauranga Golf Club.
The former European Tour player leads by three shots on 13-under from Fijian
professional Vikrant Chandra, who added a 66 to his hot 64 yesterday.
With several scores of 65 and 66 carded today, the golf course was under siege from the top class field, but Brown's charge home in his second nine took the individual honours.
He started on hole 11 and was just one-under after eight holes, before unleashing a remarkable nine holes of golf in nine-under 26. He birdied the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth holes, with an eagle three at the par-five sixth and a par on the ninth.
Brown needed a birdie three on the 10th for 59 and duly obliged, to join Richard Lee and Jared Pender as course record holders.