Owen Leads Samsung Whitford Pro-Am

Westown of Taranaki’s club pro Craig Owen wound back the clock in scoring a six under par back nine to take the half way lead Saturday in the Whitford Park Pro-Am, the penultimate event on the PGA of New Zealand’s 2009 Pro-Am tour.

An ordinary front nine saw him turn two over par, but four birdies in a row from 10 through 13, then another couple on 16 and 18 had him back in 30 for his 67 and one shot lead over Mount Maunganui’s Josh Geary.

European Tour Player and probable tournament favourite Mark Brown had a par round of 71, including a double bogey on the second hole, but a solid two under back nine has kept him in touch with Sunday to go.

Leading Scores

67 Craig Owen (Westown)
68 Josh Geary (Mount Maunganui)
69 Hogan Cho (Auckland), Dean Sipson (North Harbour)
70 Clarke Osborne (Auckland), Richard Lee (North Harbour), Jacques Nortje (The Grange)
71 Andrew Searle (Cambridge), Mark Brown (Wellington), Grant Moorhead (New Plymouth), Alex Tait (Northland), Riki Borell (Nelson), Jim Cusdin (Waikato)
72 Blair Shaw (Cape Kidnappers), Jon Bevitt (Auckland), James Kupa (Auckland), Riki Kauika (Wanganui), Jordan Dasler (Nelson), James Beston (Auckland)