Sebastian García leads the Australian PGA Championship, interrupted by storms
Spanish Sebastián García was in a dominant position at the Australian PGA Championship, but the Brisbane weather forced the day to be suspended. García, with an impressive performance, was seven under par after 15 holes, with a three-stroke lead over his pursuers, when thunderstorms forced a halt to the game. The organizers asked the spectators to leave the field, anticipating the suspension of the game due to the heavy rain. García arrived at the tournament after a victory in China and two top-five finishes in his last five participations. With two par-5s to play, García could have improved his score even more when play resumes.
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Other prominent golfers, such as Ryan Fox of New Zealand, Wenyi Ding of China, Tapio Pulkkanen of Finland, and Anthony Quayle, shared the lead at the club with four under par (67). Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee were one stroke behind, after completing rounds of 68. Cameron Smith, three-time tournament winner, finished two under par, as did defending champion Elvis Smylie. Marc Leishman and Cam Davis, among others, were at two under par with several holes to play. Furthermore, there were two holes-in-one during the day. Smith revealed the hard work he has done to recover his short game. Smith, former world number 2 and major winner, woke up at 2:45 in the morning for his Thursday round and signed a card of two under par (69). Smith excelled at putting and chipping, but has been searching for that magic ever since. In the ninth hole, he made a good putt from six to eight feet, which gave him confidence. Lee, whose shot on the final hole hit the flagstick, had to settle for par. Scott, two-time event winner, bogeyed the first and eighteenth holes.
