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Little-known Frenchman leads Vic Open

3 minute read

Australian amateur Jed Morgan is making waves at the Vic Open at 13th Beach.

GEOFF OGILVY.
GEOFF OGILVY. Picture: Michael Dodge/Getty Images

Boom amateur Jed Morgan knows he can't block out the hype after moving within three shots of the halfway lead in the men's Vic Open at 13th Beach.

Less than a month after lifting the Australian Amateur title, the 20-year-old Queenslander showed he could more than match it with the professionals, carding a second round of five-under 67.

It left Morgan in a tie for third at 11-under with countrymen Min Woo Lee, Jake McLeod and Matthew Griffin, the 2014 Vic Open champion.

The unlikely leader at 14-under is world No.401 Robin Sciot-Siegrist from France, who heads Australian Travis Smyth by a single shot.

Morgan was destined to be a golfer from a very young age as his parents owned the Hatton Vale course in southern Queensland.

With younger brother Lincoln as his caddy helping him stay relaxed, Morgan was mostly able to keep the nerves at bay on Friday.

"I haven't been in the last group of a tournament this big before so I'm excited," he said.

"I was a little bit scared but it's all going to happen in one hit.

"I'm going to learn as much as I can from the players around me who've been in this situation more times than me.

"I'd like to have made a few less mistakes but you can't do too much about that.

"I know I can't block it all out and I've got a few things going on with my sports psychologist, four points that we work on quite hard."

After earning his European Tour card at qualifying school last year, Sciot-Siegrist is on the verge of a big payday in his first trip to Australia, having signed for the day's lowest round of 64.

"It was quite a trip to come here but it's very nice and I'm happy to be here, even if it's just for one tournament," said the Frenchman.

"I'm pretty happy with what I've done already, but we're only halfway."

The scoring was red-hot for a second straight day at 13th Beach, with the halfway cut made at five-under.

Among those to miss out on the weekend play were the highest-ranked man in the field, Chinese Ryder Cup player Haotong Li, and the two most recent Vic Open champions, Scotland's David Law and Australian Simon Hawkes (all four-under).

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