Carmichael's slashing finish midday on day two

BY iseekgolf.com | Von Nida Tour | 2003 New South Wales Open | Round Two | 21 Nov 2003

Laid-back ACT golfer Craig Carmichael finished with a flurry to wrest the lead away from New South Welshman Richard Ball midway through the second day of the $100,000 GolfSkins NSW Open Championship at Macquarie Links.

Carmichael had an amazing six successive birdies to finish with a second-round 67 and a two-round total of 14-under par 130 as a north-west breeze began to pick up in the afternoon.

With European Tour star Peter O’Malley four-under par for the day after nine holes and just two from the lead, he was shaping as the biggest danger to Carmichael’s lead.

Carmichael’s 63-67 start gave him a two-shot buffer over overnight leader Richard Ball (62-70) and O’Malley, with West Australian Malcolm Baker (63-70) a shot further behind.

Best of the large amateur contingent in the field was 18-year-old Bankstown ace Mitchell Brown, whose 67-67 start had him in fourth spot and right in the thick of the action.

Carmichael couldn’t get anything special going on the front nine with eight pars and a bogey.

Still he birdied the 10th hole then gave that shot straight back with a bogey at the 11th. After a par at the 12th suddenly the putts began to drop and Carmichael birdied six holes in succession for his five-under-par 67.

Carmichael said access to good golf courses was part of the reason the ACT produced so many handy golfers these days.

“Especially when you turn professional – there are so few golf professionals down that way that they practically give you the run of the place,” he said. “You get to play all their different golf courses and you aren’t locked into the one place.”

Carmichael, who calls Federal Golf Club home, admitted he missed a lot of the pro-ams this season when he headed for Great Britain for a crack at qualifying for the British Open.

“I missed out but had a bit of a holiday. It was a good experience,” he said. “Now I’ve been playing a few of these von Nida Tour events.”

Carmichael said the string of birdies was totally unexpected.

“One of the caddies mentioned that it was a turkey after I made three in a row,” he said. “He asked me what you called it when I made it four in a row. I said I had no idea and the next thing I had made it five in a row, and then six.”

Carmichael said he was a more patient professional on the golf course these days.

“I hadn’t done a lot wrong on the first 12 holes. I just didn’t get any breaks and I was one-over,” he said. “Suddenly I made one putt and then I got on a roll. I was putting well, chipping well, hitting the ball alright so it all came right for me.”

Popular Channel Nine television star Paul ’Fatty’ Vautin, certain to miss the cut but desperate to break 80 around the south-western Sydney layout, was three over after nine holes and battling hard.

Tournament organisers would have been thrilled to see a large gallery out to follow Vautin as he teed off late in the day, paying odds of $1.01 for $1 to miss the cut with the NSW TAB.

While the Monash and Macquarie Links four-marker might not be as competitive as many in the field, he drew a larger crowd than the Australian Open champion Stephen Allan and US Amateur champion Nick Flanagan, who were playing together in the group behind him.

“Obviously a number of our club golfers can associate themselves with Paul’s situation,” said New South Wales Golf Association executive director David Allan.

“In a way I guess he is playing on their behalf. They love him.”

Source – NSWGA