Thursday afternoon was as tough as golf conditions get on the US Tour. Wind gusts of up to 40 mph, hard greens and a tough golf course. Peter Lonard's 69 in the afternoon was a great ball striking round in the conditions. Peter hit 14 greens in regulation and 2 others from just off the putting surface. The Aussies usually come to the fore when the wind gets up and the course is bouncy. There is a lot of chipping and running the ball, as opposed to the usual up in the air target golf in the USA. Friday was even better for the Aussies, with 10 making the cut and 9 of them within 6 shots of leader Phil Mickleson at 5 under. Nathan Green is the best at -4 and Lonard and Pampling at -3. If the weather stays dry and windy this could be another Players Championshp win for an Aussie. Stuart Appleby made 19 pars in a row from his 9th hole on Thursday to the 11th on friday when he finally 2 putted for a birdie. Stuart only hit 17 greens in regulation for the 2 rounds, so to be on a 1 over total demonstrated his remarkable scrambling ability. He made 15 from19 up and down attempts over the 2 rounds. As Apples walked past me on the 8th hole today and said his feet were turning into camels hoofs because he had spent so much time in the sand. We are planning on hitting a few more greens on the weekend and making some birdie putts to get in contention on Sunday.
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