Aberdeen's Michael Sim slumps after

eagle start to second round

FROM THE AUSTRALIAN PGA CHAMPIONSHIP WEBSITE:

World No. 6 Adam Scott leads at the halfway mark of the Cadbury Schweppes Australian PGA Championship at Coolum as he seeks to claim his first professional victory on home soil.

But the Queenslander's second-successive five-under 67, which leaves him on minus 10 after 36 holes, leads by only a shot from dual winner Peter Lonard and South African world No. 11 Rory Sabbatini.

Aberdeen-born Michael Sim, pictured above, the first-round leader with a 65, dropped back to a share of seventh place with a 73. Starting at the 10th, Sim had an early eagle but he could not sustain the brilliant sub-par scoring of his first round.

Scott went out in 33 despite a bogey at the sixth, and picked up further shots at the 12th, 15th and 16th holes to go two clear of the field but a bogey at the 17th kept his lead to a shot.

His day wasn't all plain sailing though, with his second shot at the par-5 15th leaving him under trees, but he pitched out of the rough to make birdie and then had further good fortune when his tee shot at 16 hit trees and bounced back onto the fairway.

"Yeah, it was a good round again, especially with the windy conditions today out there," Scott said. "It was pretty solid stuff, good ball-striking again and I made a few putts, everything was pretty good."

Sabbatini backed up his Thursday 68 with a bogey-free 67, while Lonard added a 69 to his opening 66, and that pair is one clear of Cameron Percy, whose 66 was the equal best round of the day, his fellow Victorian Scott Laycock (67) and Kiwi David Smail (69).

Lonard twice collected birdies early in the back nine, only to make bogey wihin two holes as he dropped a shot at the course for the first time since the final round of the 2005 event.

But he added a pair of birdies before the turn to jump to the top and then similarly answered his third bogey of the day at the fourth with two more birdies at the seventh and eighth holes.

Like Lonard, Sabbatini felt that he didn't play all that well, despite making birdies at the 11th and 13th holes and then following up with further joy at the second, seventh and eighth holes.

Percy had to overcome a disrupted build-up to the tournament that included the delayed arrival of his clubs and luggage from the USA, finally getting his own bag back in time to collect nine birdies and three bogeys.

Michael Brennan grabbed a quintet of birdies en route to a 68 and equal seventh alongside Craig Parry (72), Luke Hickmott (67), Steve Conran (68), Adam Bland (70) and overnight leader Michael Sim (73).

Aberdeen-born Sim's Thursday 65 remains the low round of the event so far, and he opened brilliantly with eagle at the 12th to join Lonard and Sabbatini at minus nine, but he later handed both of those strokes and another back.

Defending champion Nick O'Hern had a quiet day, his 72 leaving him in a tie for 35th on two-under with Kiwi Michael Long (74) and Brett Rumford (69), while Wayne Grady (69) and Steven Bowditch (74) share 45th on minus one.

Sabbatini and Lonard's playing partner Stuart Appleby had a much steadier day on Friday after starting the tournament with a 78, but his 71 left him at plus five and among those who won't make the cut.

With the mark at even-par, Peter Fowler (70 for plus one), Kevin Stadler (70 for plus two), Mark Hensby (71 for two-over), Brandt Snedeker (72 for plus two) and Peter Senior (77 for three-over) also missed out.
LEADING HALFWAY TOTALS

Par 144 (2 x 72)

134 A Scott 67 67.

135 R Sabbatini (South Africa) 68 67, P Lonard 66 69.

136 C Percy 70 66, S Laycock 69 67, D Smail 67 69.

Other scores:

138 M Sim 65 73, C Parry 66 72 (jt 7th).