David Puig was unable to maintain his momentum after winning the Australian PGA Championship and, with a total of 144 strokes, missed the cut at the Australian Open on Friday, as did Adri Arnaus and Joaqun Niemann, among others.
The tournament is led by Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and Portugal's Daniel Rodrigues, who snatched the lead from Mexico's Carlos Ortiz. Ortiz finished the first round as co-leader but dropped to fourth place after the second round, two strokes behind the leaders.
David Puig, results
The leading duo holds a one-stroke advantage over Australia's Min Woo Lee, who also climbed the leaderboard with a 65. Joining Ortiz are two other prominent Australians, Adam Scott and Cam Smith, who also improved their rounds on Friday.
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Spain's Rafa Cabrera Bello moved into a tie for seventh place at 136 strokes with Australia's Ryan Fox, New Zealand's Daniel Hillier, Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat, South Korea's Si Woo Kim, and the United States' Caleb Surrat. Josele Ballester, the recent winner in Saudi Arabia, is in fourteenth place, one stroke behind, after carding a 68.
Mexico's Abraham Ancer also shot a 70 and is in twenty-eighth place with a large group that includes Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, the tournament's star player, who recovered some form with a 68 after starting with a 72.
The Rules of Golf are a set of standards and procedures by which the sport of golf should be played. They are jointly written and administered by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, the governing body of golf worldwide, except in the United States and Mexico, which are governed by the United States Golf Association. An expert committee composed of members of the R&A and the USGA oversees and refines the rules every four years. The latest revision took effect on January 1, 2016. Amendments to the Rules of Golf are generally divided into two main categories: those that improve understanding and those that reduce penalties in certain cases to ensure balance. The rulebook, entitled "Rules of Golf," is published regularly and also includes rules governing amateur status. In Italy, the Italian Golf Federation is responsible for overseeing competitions by enforcing the rules issued by the R&A, ensuring that these rules are observed by clubs, associations, and their members, and managing the resulting sporting justice, protecting their interests abroad.
