Rick Kulacz carded 11 birdies in an incredible nine-under-par 63 to move into a one-shot lead at the halfway stage in Abu Dhabi.
Aussie one clear of group that includes Garcia
Australian Rick Kulacz carded 11 birdies in an incredible nine-under-par 63 to move into a one-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.
The 24-year-old from Perth is in the field thanks to a sponsor's invitation and the two-time winner on the Asian Tour took full advantage to charge up the leaderboard.
He is a shot clear of Sergio Garcia, Shane Lowry and Peter Hanson.
Kulacz said: "I was just in the zone. I tried to get it on the green and every putt went in, it was just one of those days where everything went right.
"That round is definitely top five in my career. I think the one at Q-School was better under the circumstances; to get to Europe was pretty special."
Kulacz shot a final round 65 to come back from four behind to win the New South Wales Open as amateur in 2006, while he achieved a first win as a professional courtesy of a chip in on the first play-off hole at the 2008 Brunei Open.
Pressure
"I will have to see if I can deal with the pressure, it's a totally different story than Q-School," added Kulacz. "The players are the best in the world excluding the USA and they are way too good to go backwards."
Irish Open champion Lowry carded a bogey-free seven-under-par 65, world number 13 Garcia dropped just one shot in a 67, while Sweden's Hanson went one better with a flawless five-under-par second round over The National Course at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
Former champion and last year's runner-up Martin Kaymer (67), Chris Wood, who carded a bogey-free 64, and Rhys Davies (68) are just a further shot off the pace, with Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter in a group at nine-under-par.
Defending champion Paul Casey made the cut with a second round 69, but European number one Lee Westwood crashed out after a 78 which included six bogeys.
