Nicolas Colsaerts is primed to end a very first Australian Open appearance by lifting the famed Stonehaven trophy.
Colsaerts bounced back from a disappointing opening round 73 with a five under par 66 and celebrate recoding the lowest round on day two in the 100th staging of the tournament.
The very affable Callaway star heads into day three trailing only four strokes behind Arizona-based Australian Matt Jones winner of last year’s Shell Houston Open.
Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts in contention to win the Australian Open in his first appearance.
Colsaerts is no stranger to competing both professionally and socially given his long-time caddy is Australian-born Brian Nilsson who has often encouraged the double European Tour winning Colsaerts ‘down under’ in the off season.
And this latest trip could reap rich rewards for the 2012 European Ryder Cup star and with victory putting paid for a three-and-a-half-year winless drought for Colsaerts.
“The conditions today were a lot calmer than Thursday so that helped the scoring this morning,” said Colsaerts.
“I just played a lot better in managing to also hole a few long putts and make the short ones I missed yesterday.
“The conditions beat up everyone so much yesterday and I just wasted so many like taking a couple of bogeys from 100 yards in. So today was good and holing a few putts turned into a pretty decent day while the key here is just committing to the shot.”
Colsaerts has not tasted success since superbly silencing a more fancied Graeme McDowell in Spain to capture the prestigious Volvo World Match-Play Championship.
However Colsaerts has lost of his determination despite a lean period since winning at Finca Cortesin on the Costa del Sol.
“Yeah, I would love to get my hands on the trophy come Sunday night and if I keep playing like this then I feel as though I could be there,” he said.
“But then there’s a high-quality field here this week and I am going to have to be right up there come the back nine on Sunday.”
