Michael Sim shoots six-under-par 66 in Round 2

Angry Paddison shares lead at halfway

in New Zealand PGA Championship

New Zealand left-hander Gareth Paddison got very angry with himself as early at the opening hole in his second round at the New Zealand PGA Championship at Clearwater today, and he used it to his advantage en route to a four-under-par 68.
That lifted him to nine-under 135 at the midway point of the NZ$1.2 million tournament, good enough to earn him a share of the lead alongside alongside American journeyman Josh Teater and Australian Kurt Barnes.
Barnes, the first-round leader, double-bogeyed his 17th hole in a round of 71 while Teater matched Paddison by composing rounds of 67 and 68.
Australian veteran Peter O'Malley, who has won twice on this course, shot 67 to be tied for fourth place on 136 with American Steve Friesen, who matched that effort.
Seven players were bunched one shot back in a tie for sixth, including New Zealand's Josh Geary, who produced the day's equal best round of 65, featuring a chip-in at the last for his seventh birdie.
Geary shares floor space with Americans David Branshaw, Craig Bowden, and Kevin Johnson, plus Aberdeen-born Michael Sim and Australians Michael Wright and Matthew Griffin.
Sim, for whom the third round is usually the critical one in a tournament - he lost a lot of ground on Day 3 in the Moonah Classic, had a sparkling six-under-par round of 66.
He birdied the second, fourth, fifth and sixth reaching the turn in a flawless, four-under-par 32, got to five under with a birdie at the 12th before dropping his only shot of the round at the 13th. But Sim finished on a high with birdies at the 15th and 17th.
New Zealand amateur star Danny Lee ensured his presence this weekend when a fine 67 promoted him from 51st equal to 13th equal on 138 with 11 others, among them compatriot Richard Lee, who shot his second successive 69.
In all, seven of 19 New Zealanders survived the cut line of three-under 141, including Brad Shilton, Steve Alker and David Smail, all tied for 25th on 139 after rounds of 69, 70 and 71 respectively.
Among those booking out of their hotels are Mahal Pearce, Phil Tataurangi, Grant Waite and Michael Long.
But the best of the locals was clearly Paddison.
After squandering two shots with a double bogey at the last hole yesterday when he posted 67, the last thing Paddison expected this morning was to drop another stroke on his opening hole, the par-five 10th.
But shell one he did, after chopping it up the fairway, leaving the Wellingtonian more than a little annoyed with himself.
"Sometimes when I get angry it fires me up," the 28-year-old European Challenge Tour regular said.
"Today after what happened on the 10th I was absolutely seething mad. I was furious with myself."
It certainly sparked Paddison into action as he reeled off four birdies by the turn before adding another on his 10th hole to steal the outright lead at nine-under.
Crisp iron play had left him with a series of five to six-feet putts for birdie, which he gratefully accepted before the well ran dry on his back nine.
He left one shot out there on the eighth when he inexplicably missed another birdie offering from less than three feet after airmailing an eight iron 130m from a fairway bunker.
"That felt more like a bogey than a par," he admitted, blaming the miss on a misread rather than a poor strike of the ball.
It also meant it was imperative for his state of mind that Paddison at least par his last, the par-three ninth, which he managed after chipping from the fringe and draining a five-foot comeback putt.
"I was really solid today and incredibly steady after what happening at my first hole."
Teater, 29, has played out of his skin in just his fourth start in a Nationwide Tour event.
Having scraped out a living on the Hooters and Tarheel tours, he is in his rookie term on the second tier circuit in the US, but looked anything but pedestrian when starting today with three successive birdies.
He was modesty personified afterwards.
"I'm sure the guys I played practice rounds with are probably wondering what's going on with my game," Teater said.
"I didn't play that good but I just believed in myself and knew that I could do it.
"I think I'm back to hitting it well, which I wasn't doing earlier in the week."
Barnes, a two-time winner on the Von Nida Tour across the Tasman, had a stumble on his penultimate hole, the eighth, when a three wood off the tee ended up in an unplayable lie in tussock.
His next plugged in a hazard and he two-putted for his double double, remaining philosophical despite the setback.
"I have only hit two bad shots in two days. Today was a grinding day because not too many putts were dropping."
SECOND-ROUND LEADERS
Par 144 (2 x 72)
Players from Australia unless stated
135 G Paddison (NZ) 67 68, J Teater (US) 67 68, K Barnes 64 71.
136 S Frieson (US) 69 67, P O'Malley 69 67.
137 M Sim (Sco) 71 66, D Branshaw (US) 66 71, C Bowden (US) 69 68, K Johnson (US) 70 67, M Griffin 69 68, J Geary (NZ) 72 65, M Wright 71 66.
Selected scores:
138 D Lee (NZ) (amateur) 71 67.
141 G Christian (Eng) 72 69.
+Only players with totals of two-under-par 142 or better qualified for the final two rounds.