Victorian Professional Rory Bourke has taken the lead at the inaugural JRT/Tropical Auto Group Southern Great Barrier Reef Golf Championship at 13-under the card, following his 8-under 63 in the second round.

Bourke trailed
overnight leader Daniel Fox by three strokes at the start of the day, but with
blustery conditions affecting the second round, the Yeppoon Golf Course was
again a stern test for the players.

Bourke now leads
Fox by two strokes, while Chris Wood is a further two shots back in outright
third.

Andrew Martin
sits alone in fourth place, while Yeppoon local Adam Blyth finds himself in a
tie for fifth with Jamie Hook, Kristopher Mueck and Blair Riordan six shots off
the lead.

Bourke comes
into the Yeppoon event full of confidence, after finishing in a tie for seventh
last week in Rockhampton.

"My game has
been in good shape over the past two weeks, and apart from a few small errors
in Rockhampton on the weekend, I would have found myself right in contention,"
said Bourke.

"I seemed to
have found something extra with my game this week, so hopefully I can remain
calm and patient for the next couple of days."

"Although
conditions haven’t been easy, the course is in outstanding condition, rewarding
the players that are hitting quality shots," added Bourke.

"I am looking
forward to the next two days and if I continue to drive the ball and hole my
share of putts I know I will be in contention late on Saturday afternoon."

Pre-tournament
favourite, Steven Jeffress who won the Rockhampton Pro-Am last Sunday is
remaining upbeat after sliding down the leaderboard in today’s second round.

"There is no
doubt I will be looking for a quick start in tomorrow’s third round to place
pressure on the leaders, but I know in the back of my mind, that I will also
need to give the course the respect it deserves," said Jeffress.

"The Yeppoon
course is quite short in comparison to many we play tournaments on, but it’s a
course that requires precision off the tee and finesse around the greens if you
are looking to post a score."

"Hopefully I
can combine the two tomorrow and move in the right direction up the
leaderboard."