Zach Murray grabs 36-hole lead at Master of the Amateurs

MELBOURNE, Australia (Jan. 7, 2015) — Successive rounds of 69 have given young local golfer Zach Murray a one stroke lead going into tomorrow’s third round of the Australian Master of the Amateurs Championsip being played at Royal Melbourne Golf Club. Murray who is just 17, was the Victorian Amateur champion in 2013 and is a member at nearby Commonwealth Golf Club. Considering today’s temperature in the high 30’s and the strong winds, Murray said he was happy with his round that included three bogeys and six birdies. Another teenager, Frazer Droop from Yarrawonga and Melbourne golfer Andrew Schonewille , a member at Yarra Yarra, also appeared undaunted by today’s condition. Both carded 68's, equalling the best round of the day. They sit just one shot behind the leader and a shot clear of a group of four; first round leader Ben Eccles, Queenslander Cory Crawford and the best performed international so far, David Snyder from the USA. Englishmen Paul Howard and Nick Marsh and Chieh-Po Lee from Chinese Taipei are in a group of seven a further shot back. A third of this world class field of 78 recorded sub-par rounds today, and with such a tightly packed leader-board, the fight for the Green Jacket remains wide open.