Gale-force winds, quick greens and extremely tough conditions were on the menu for round 2 of the 2019 Altitude Wealth Solutions QLD PGA Trainee Championship being held at the Windaroo Lakes Golf Club.

Handling the conditions the best was defending champion Cooper Eccleston, finishing with a halfway total of 144. Starting the day level with fellow Queenslander Charles Wright, Eccleston put a gap on the field from the outset after holeing his second shot of the day, a 122m sand iron for eagle on the 396m 10th hole.

He followed this up with a birdie on his third hole the 477m 12^th to be 3-under for the day after three holes and with most of the field struggling in the strong winds, he found himself six shots clear at one point during the round.

“With the wind blowing as hard as it was I didn’t know what to expect today,” said Eccleston, who is based at the Victoria Park Golf Complex.

“After seeing my ball go in on my first hole for eagle, the 10^th hole, it actually calmed me somewhat knowing how tough it was out there.

“Then birdieing my third hole, the 12^th, I knew I had picked up a few shots on the rest of the field.

“The remainder of the day was somewhat just staying in damage control to which I did for most of the round”.

After sharing the lead with Eccleston after round 1, Burleigh Golf Club’s Charles Wright holds down second place some four shots back after posting a 4-over 76 round for a halfway total of 148.

“I played really well the front nine and felt confident making the turn,” said Wright.

“However I was rattled a bit on the 10th hole after having a 4-putt. From there I lost my way a bit but I guess 76 in those conditions is not a disaster and I am still in good shape.”

A further two shots back is the National Order of Merit leader Brayden Petersen from the Asquith Golf Club in NSW. After shooting 74 today he will no doubt be in the mix come Thursday alongside Dean Jamieson from the Hills Golf Club located in the Gold Coast Hinterland who shot the second-best round of the day, a 1-over 73. Both players sit on 150 after 36 holes.

With the top-50 scores and ties making the cut and progressing to round three, the proof was evident that the conditions were as tough as they get with the cut being made at a record-breaking 24-over par.

Round three gets underway on Wednesday with the final group of Eccleston, Wright and Petersen teeing off at 9.50am.

For all the scores and information on the 2019 Altitude Wealth Solutions QLD Trainee Championship please click here.