Course record for Lee at Akarana Open

Jang Hyun Lee has announced himself as a contender at the Barfoot & Thompson Akarana Open after equalling the course record with a stunning round of nine-under, 61 to lead by one on the Jennian Homes Charles Tour this afternoon.

Lee enjoyed a blemish free day which was highlighted by two eagles, his first on the tenth hole (his opening hole), before repeating this on the first hole to come home in just 28 for his back nine and join Josh Geary, Brad Shilton, Johnny Tynan and Marcus Wheelhouse (old course) on the magic number of 61.

The 15-year-old who plays his golf next door at Mungakeikei Golf Club, showed his local experience to be one shot clear of two experienced contenders in Dongwoo Kang and Daniel Pearce who went seven-under and six-under respectively today.

But Lee is just happy to be at the top of the pecking order as he looks to repeat todays efforts.

"It feels very good and is my best score of my life which beats my previous score of seven-under," beamed a humble Lee.

There were many highlights and strengths to his round, but he made the par fives look easy today on his way to this record-equalling round.

"My putter was pretty good, but my irons were amazing. I had a two-iron into the green for my first eagle which was a tap in and then used six-iron in for my second eagle which was good."

"It feels amazing to lead after the second round, but I have to be good in the third and fourth round if I want to win it."

If he was to end the week at the top of the leaderboard, it will be well-deserved with this being one of the best fields we have seen on the Jennian Homes Charles Tour. Both Kang and Pearce will have other ideas as they look to slowly grind out the amateur and claim top honours at the Akarana Golf Club.

Even surprising himself this week, Kang who has recovered from surgery and focused on coaching of recent, enjoyed playing with a care-free spirit to bounce back to his best at a course he enjoys.

"I havent had seven-under for a while, so its feels great and its nice to be back here at Akarana," said Kang.

"I was focusing on distance control with my irons which is something I have been really focusing on since my surgery, but Im also just enjoying my golf and cant wait for the weekend."

With three birdies in his closing four holes, Pearce has sent a message to the field and poses a huge threat as he looks to record his second Jennian Homes Charles Tour victory after his victory at the Ngamotu Classic late last year. The Hawkes Bay professional is a proven winner both here and on the PGA Tour of Australasia and will look to use that, and his new putter which was red hot, to his advantage.

FULL LEADERBOARD

The gap has closed in the womens field, but Vivian Lu now holds a two-shot lead over former Barfoot & Thompson Akarana Open Champion Brittney Dryland.

In contrasting fashion, Lu went one-over par this afternoon after a stunning round of seven-under yesterday, proving how hard it is to back up such a good score.

Things wont be as easy during the weekend as the experienced Dryland looks to slowly close in on her Auckland teammate and record her second victory here at the Akarana Golf Club.

Also throwing her hat into the ring was Darae Chung who completed a colourful round of six-under par which was made even more impressive after recording a quadruple-bogey (nine) on the 12th hole.

This was followed by a bogey before something clicked as she made seven birdies in eight holes to leap into third place and just three behind the leader and make for an interesting moving day.

FULL LEADERBOARD

The weekend tees off at 8:30am and promises to be an exciting one as we enjoy a great run of three Jennian Homes Charles Tour events to end the season. With free entry during for the final 36 holes, this is a great chance for punters to enjoy some of the countrys best in their backyard.

- This story has been automatically published using a media release from Golf NZ