Zachary Maxwell’s stunning eagle gives him WA Open halfway lead

A stunning eagle has put Queensland’s Zachary Maxwell in a strong position to win his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title at the WA Open at Mandurah Country Club.

Zachary Maxwell at the WA Open at Mandurah Country Club. Photo: Supplied Golf Australia

Queensland’s Zachary Maxwell has put himself in a strong position to win his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title, after a stunning eagle helped him take a one shot lead into the third round of the WA Open at Mandurah Country Club.

Maxwell shot a five-under-par round of 66 to go with his 63 on Thursday to sit atop the leaderboard at 13-under, ahead of South Australian Jak Carter at 12-under and another Queenslander Elvis Smylie a shot further back at 11-under.

Smylie made the most of the morning conditions on Friday when shot a 7-under-par 64 to be the clubhouse leader only for the round one leaders to keep up their strong form in the afternoon group.

Maxwell would’ve had a bigger lead but bogeyed the 12th and 18th holes in a round that also included a rare eagle on the par four 343m third hole.

Carter, who shot 68 on Friday, had set the standard with a course record in the opening round when he shot a 9-under-par round of 62.

Jak Carter at the WA Open. Photo: Golf Australia

“I’d say the majority of the day I was just flagging anything from inside sort of 120 metres, I was hitting those to inches,” Carter said.

“It was just a nice solid day with shorter clubs, the wedges were good today.

“The course is mint, I absolutely love it, it’s pure.”

Carter is yet to secure his first win on the tour, something he is hoping to finally achieve this weekend.

“Absolutely starving,” he said of his hunger for that first win. “Just got to keep just rocking up and yeah, who knows what’ll happen.”

Originally published as Zachary Maxwell’s stunning eagle gives him WA Open halfway lead