Palmerston golfer Aaron Pike is 18 holes away from a maiden NT PGA title after a 5-under 66

Palmerston’s Aaron Pike grabs a share of the NT PGA lead with his second round 5-under 66 on his home course

Local hero Aaron Pike is 18 holes away from a maiden NT PGA golf title after two sub-par rounds on his home course. Picture: Taylah Somerville

PALMERSTON’S own Aaron Pike has joined Nathan Barbieri at the top of the leaderboard heading into the final round of the Tailor-made Building Services NT PGA Championship.

Pike’s second round 5-under 66 was the best in Saturday’s round, lifting him next to the New South Wales amateur at 8-under par, one shot clear of European Tour player Deyen Lawson and two better than Australian Amateur champion Jed Morgan and former US PGA Tour player Michael Sim at 6-under.

Sim is spending the week in the Pike family home that sits adjacent to the 11th hole at Palmerston Golf and Country Club, the course where Pike learned the game before moving to Queensland in 2003.

A win on Sunday would be considered a hometown triumph but the 34-year-old hopes that the work he has done on his mental approach will prevent him from getting caught up in the emotions around a win on the course where he played his junior golf.

Pike sought out performance psychologist Phil Jauncey at the start of the year, joining a client base that includes the Australian cricket team and NRL clubs Brisbane and South Sydney.

“Warren Kennaugh helps me immensely at practice and Phil is more around how we get the best out of the situation that we’re in,” Pike told the NT News.

“Those two guys have helped me a lot and coming to play events like this, that’s where I can test it and see what works for me.

“I’ve taken the opportunity to really work on the mental side of things which is something that I have always thought has been a big problem of mine.

“I wouldn’t be in this situation if I hadn’t already put that stuff into practice and Phil’s a little different and a little left-field which I feel that I am.’’

Using local knowledge to scramble pars and rattle off four birdies in his closing six holes on Saturday, Pike enters the final round having shot 67 in last week’s Palmerston club comp.

“Look, 175 metres at Palmerston Golf Club is the same as 175m at Royal St George’s,” he said in reference to missing a maiden British Open Championship appearance this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Not letting things get to me, keep working and going to the next shot, worrying only about what do we do next, when everything goes down on Sunday, then I’ll know.

Leading scores after Round 2: 134: Aaron Pike, Nathan Barbieri (a). 135: Deyen Lawson. 136: Jediah Morgan (a), Michael Sim. 137: Justin Warren.