Richard Green during today’s second round – image USGA
Australia’s Richard Green is just one off the halfway lead at the US Senior Open at the Newport Country Club on Rhode Island, a second round of 67 added to his opening 63 to be just one off the lead held by his co-first round leader Hiroyuki Fujita.
An opening bogey on day two by Green after starting at the 10th was quickly put right with two consecutive birdies at his 2nd and 3rd holes before completing an outward nine of 1 under 34. Then, just as he did on day one he birdied the first and 2nd holes of the course and parred in to be nicely positioned heading into the weekend.
Green described the more demanding conditions on day two but expressed his satisfaction with how he ground out his round.
“Hung in there pretty well today. It was much tougher conditions today with the wind. It’s something we faced in the last couple of holes yesterday, but not for the whole round.
“There were some really testing shots out there today coming through 4, 5, 6 and the early holes on the back nine, 10, 11, 12, 13. Some really, really tough, demanding shots.
“I was able to hit some good ones when I needed to and hang in there when I needed to. It was a much tougher feeling out there today.
“Fujita obviously had a great start, another great round. So, he must be feeling pretty comfortable out there.
“So, I was aware of it. Obviously aware of Steve Stricker and the good round to get up to that position where I was tied with him for 2nd for a long part of the day until I sort of made a couple towards the end.
“Yeah, it’s just being there on Sunday now. Just giving myself a chance tomorrow, giving myself a chance Sunday.”
Green finished runner-up at the recent Senior PGA Championship so contention at this level on the PGA Tour Champions is nothing new to him.
Cameron Percy – en route to a second round of 65 – image USGA
Australia’s Cameron Percy reeled off seven birdies in his opening 16 holes before bogeys at the 17th and 18th put a bit of a dampener on his efforts but he improved considerably from his opening 70 for his round of 65 to be now tied in a share of 9th place and six off the lead held by Fujita an eighteen-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour.
“I mucked up the last two holes, said Percy. “Yeah, I just tweaked my lie angles and irons and going left on me. If I don’t hold onto it it’s going left, so that’s happened on 17.
And then 18 I just blocked my driver. Been hitting a beautiful draw all day and it went straight, so that was no fun. It was in the hazard and had to chip it out.
“But I found something in my putting this morning on the putting green. Made a lot of 10-, 15-footers today so it was nice.”
The talk of the day however was the amazing feat by American Frank Bensel who, playing in his first US Senior Open, holed in one on consecutive holes.
Bensel a teaching professional at Century Country Club in Purchase, N.Y., and the Club at Mirasol in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., made USGA history with back-to-back holes-in-one on the par-3 fourth and fifth holes. He used a 6-iron on both holes, which measured 173 and 202 yards, respectively. They were the 22nd and 23rd aces in U.S. Senior Open history.
Other Australasians in the field to make the cut were Steve Alker and Mark Hensy (24th), Hensby bouncing back from his opening 75 with a best of the day round of 63, Mathew Goggin 31st, Michael Wright 36th, Michael Long and Stuart Appleby 47th and Greg Chalmers 60th.
Frank Bensel – consecutive holes in one today – image USGA
