Fraser takes over at the top

Last updated: 7th December 2012

Marcus Fraser took over at the top of the Australian Open leaderboard on Friday after carding a second consecutive three-under-par 69.

The local hope moved to six-under for the tournament and will take a one-shot lead into the weekend ahead of Brendan Jones (71) and overnight leader John Senden.

Fraser looked like he was heading for an early exit on Thursday after he found himself three-over following 10 holes, but he produced a stunning turnaround with four birdies from the 11th to the 14th and then capped it all off with a hole-in-one at the 15th.

Friday's round also produced a mixed bag as picked up five more birdies with a couple of bogeys.

"To have one go in like that, it turned the round and the tournament around from where I was," Fraser said.

He added: "I've been playing so much I feel like I'm going with the flow a little bit. Playing week-in, week-out you're going through the same routine every day and it feels like another golf tournament. At the same time it is the Aussie Open. Definitely it's the pick of the bunch of the eight weeks for me."

Senden struggled in testing afternoon conditions and posted five bogeys and four birdies en route to a one-over 73.

Australian Nick Cullen is fourth after a 70 in the afternoon while world number four Justin Rose is part of a six-man group at three-under.

Rose started the day two shots off the pace and picked up four birdies on the front nine, but then dropped four shots in six holes to finish with a 73.

"My game was feeling pretty tight then all of a sudden it wasn't," said the Englishman. "There's a long way to go and if you'd said after two rounds I'd be three shots off the lead, I'd probably have taken it."

Pre-tournament favourite Adam Scott is at one-under after a 71 while veteran American Tom Watson carded a four-under 68 to make the cut.

"I hate missing cuts, I really do," said Watson, who made 78 on Thursday. "That means you've failed."

One player who wasn't so lucky was Chinese teenager Guan Tianlang. The 14-year-old, who has qualified for next year's Masters, followed up his opening round 72 with a two-under-par 70 on Friday.