Josh and Brad Geary got on fine yesterday and made sure their name was near the top of the New Zealand Open leaderboard.
Josh Geary struck a sizzling vein of form to get round The Hills in 65, with seven birdies and no bogeys. Five of his birdies came in succession, on holes one through five, after starting his second round on the 10th tee.
Right beside the Tauranga golfer was his brother, Brad, carrying his bags. Brad (27) has worked as a caddy for Josh (24) at the past three New Zealand Opens.
The stage could have been set for some brotherly bickering in the opening round when Josh, struggling with the strong winds, bogeyed three holes out of four before recovering to post an even-par 72.
But he said Brad just acted like a good caddy.
"He was pretty good.
"He knew the wind was pretty trying. He wasn't being aggressive at all," Josh Geary said.
"He's doing a pretty good job of keeping me on track."
The brothers have their parents keeping an eye on them during the Open and are staying with family friends at Millbrook. Geary copped the wind again yesterday but found it much easier to make the crucial putts.
"Yesterday I sort of hung in after a bad start and tried to keep patient and get par. Today I played well.
"The wind doesn't seem so much of a factor when you're playing well."
Geary, who won a tournament on the Canadian Tour last year, qualified for the British Open at the Australian qualifying tournament last month.
He could also be in line for more Nationwide Tour experience.
He earned US$53,526 ($NZ103,000) for his tied second place at the New Zealand PGA last week and needs another US$3000 or about a top-40 finish to get temporary Nationwide member status.
Geary has not been getting any of the attention heaped on rising amateur Danny Lee, and the pair are quite different.
Where Lee is all smooth efficiency, not just in how he plays but in how he looks, Geary looks more like the boy next door.
But do not be fooled by the whiskery young face, the hair sprouting out the back of his cap and the relaxed gait.
He can play. Geary's run of five straight birdies has not been bettered at the Open and he rattled off the streak, plus his earlier two birdies, barely pausing for breath.
"The first was on 11.
"I had a shot to within about 12 feet [3.5m] and made that.
"On 16, a par 3, I hit a good shot to the back right and got a good 12-footer there as well.
"The first hole, I hit it just short of the green for two, and chipped up to within three or four feet.
"Second hole, made a 15-footer for birdie.
"Next hole, par 4, had an easy short putt. Next hole, par 3, had a pretty good shot to set it up.
"Next hole, I putted from about probably eight feet."
Geary has 36 holes to play in this tournament. If he keeps up that sort of putting, he will be right in contention tomorrow afternoon.
