First-round leader Christopher Wood has a one-shot buffer in the New Zealand Open heading into the weekend, and his closest rival is a fellow Queenslander, Shae Wools-Cobb.
Wood fired a 2-under-par 69 today to move to 12-under for the tournament, while Wools-Cobb scorched around the Coronet course with a 7-under-par 64 to get to 11-under.
But the story of the day, at least from a local fan perspective, was Kazuma Kobori, the 21-year-old Rangiora amateur who finished the leading New Zealander at 9-under.
Kobori added a 4-under-par 67 to his first-round 66, coping superbly with the gustier afternoon conditions, and he has not dropped a single shot over two days.
The Japanese-born golfer, who came to New Zealand when he was 5, had not envisioned being the top Kiwi chance at the halfway point of the tournament.
‘‘I did not, I’ve got to be honest with you,’’ Kobori said after his round in the Coronet course.
‘‘The last time I played the Open here, I was about 6-over and missed the cut pretty comfortably, so going into this week I was just looking to make four rounds, and I’m glad I’ve done that.
‘‘I hit it pretty well off the tee, apart from one drive, and I putted pretty nicely.’’
Kobori, who won the New Zealand PGA Championship as a 17-year-old in 2019, and won the Australian amateur earlier this year, said his best shot was a recovery on the No 1 hole when he flared his drive into the rough.
He does not expect to find the weekend any harder under pressure.
‘‘I’ve played a fair amount of Australasian tour events and in Japan as well. Who knows? Golf’s weird. I might pull up tomorrow and be nervous, but I should be just fine.’’
An amateur has not won the New Zealand Open since Jake Higginbottom in 2012, and if Kobori claims the Brodie Breeze Trophy, he will not earn a cent.
‘‘Hopefully I will go pro at some stage,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s a weird one. Would you have played the same if money was on the line? There’s no hard and fast answers to that question.
‘‘I’m just happy with where I’m at, and I’m going to keep playing golf, whether it be amateur or pro, and see where it takes me.’’
Tournament leader Wood was flawless through the first 13 holes of his second round before making bogey at his 14th (the sixth on Coronet) then double bogey at the 16th.
‘‘I just tried to ride the momentum from yesterday,’’ Wood said.
‘‘I probably didn’t hit it as good but I still managed to get the scoring going. It was just a bit disappointing to drop three shots in the last four or five holes.’’
Wood was happy to see fellow Queenslander Wools-Cobb near the top of the leaderboard.
‘‘I’ve been paired with him quite a few times, so we both know each other’s games pretty well. He’s a great driver of the ball and can putt it pretty good.’’
Wools-Cobb made a hot start on the Coronet course, picking up four shots through the first five holes.
It ‘‘kind of just felt easy after that’’, he said.
‘‘It’s a bit of a blur, really. The last four weeks have given me a lot of confidence, the way I’ve been playing, so I think I’m just going to ride that into the weekend.’’
Fellow Australian John Lyras had the round of the day, a 9-under-par 62 on the Remarkables course to move to 9-under for the tournament and a share of fourth, one shot behind third-placed compatriot Scott Hend, who fired 8-under-par 64.
There were again large galleries for the all-star Kiwi pairing of Steven Alker and Daniel Hillier.
Both had their moments and both are still in contention but Alker, especially, narrowly missed a bunch of putts, and neither could make a really big move.
Hillier posted a 2-under-par 69 to move to 6-under and a share of 26th, while Alker is at 7-under and tied for 12th.
Among the prominent players to miss the cut (4-under) were former champions Dimitrios Papadatos and Matthew Griffin, and consistent Kiwis Josh Geary, Nick Voke and Harry Bateman.
Leaders of the accompanying New Zealand pro-am championship, cut to 40 for tomorrow’s third round, are Australian professional Max McCardle and amateur partner Andrew Scott, and Australian professional Andrew Evans and amateur partner Barry Wither, at 21-under.
A wildcard tomorrow could be the course changes.
Golfers have alternated on the Coronet and Remarkable 18s, but the weekend will be played on a composite course involving 17 Coronet holes (No 2 misses out) followed by the par-3 Remarkables 18th.
Weather could also be a factor as chilly temperatures with possible showers are forecast.
NZ Open
Leading scores
-12 Christopher Wood (Aus)
