On the back of five-straight birdies to finish at 8-under in Round 1, Michel continued his exemplary ball-striking in winds that gusted as high as 50km/h and which sent balls flying in all manner of directions in Round 2 at The National Golf Club.

Michel himself had to two-putt down three tiers from 100 feet after his 3-iron from 200 metres at the par-4 14th – the hardest hole on the Moonah Course on Friday – sailed onto the adjoining sixth green, making a 12-footer for his self-proclaimed best par of the day in a round of 5-under 67.

Remarkably, on a day in which the course played 2.39 strokes over its par, Michel went bogey free, his lone dropped shot through 36 holes coming courtesy of a three-putt at the par-3 13th in Round 1.

Not only that, the Shepparton product has only one score of five – and nothing higher – through two rounds, playing the par 5s in 7-under to sit five strokes clear of Cameron John (70) and Nathan Barbieri (68) at 13-under par.

To put that in perspective, there were 35 scores of double-bogey or worse on the back nine alone on Friday, the inward nine playing 2.35 shots over its par.

Kyle Michel holds his lead at the halfway mark of #TheNationalTournament ⛳️

Full Leaderboard: https://t.co/TdfLadgoFY pic.twitter.com/TE1fo4tVhY

— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) March 15, 2024

Michel’s closest challengers both have additional motivation in the final event of the season.

Barbieri is projected to move from 63rd to 35th on the Order of Merit, a move that would ensure he retains full status for next season while John would move inside the top 10 with victory on Sunday.

The battle for the final two DP World Tour cards will also go down to the wire, Brett Coletta (74), Daniel Gale (70) and Matt Griffin (72) all inside the top 15 at the halfway mark.

With the outward holes playing downwind, Michel made sure to cash in on birdies at the two early par 5s, adding another at the 374-metre par-4 10th that some players were reaching, such was the strength of the wind.

He couldn’t reach either 12 or 15 in two yet converted chances from just outside 10 feet to pick up two more birdies, holding on across the brutal finish to lead by five heading into the weekend.

“It’s not really a strategy, when it’s this windy around here you need to take advantage of the par 5s,” said Michel, who is projected to move from 38th to eighth on the Order of Merit with a breakthrough win.

“Growing up and playing a lot of tournaments down here and along the (Mornington) Peninsula, it is like a heavier wind down here.

“You just have to trust it and just accept that some shots are going to get taken by the wind and some aren’t.”

Like Michel, John is chasing a maiden Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title and a boost to his Order of Merit standing.

In order to unlock the unquestioned potential he possesses, John has begun working with one of Australia’s leading coaches Denis McDade, and is channelling the spirit of his star pupil, Marc Leishman.

“I’ve been quite a rigid, stiff player for a long time so trying to change the mindset and it seems to be working so far,” said John.

“The last couple of days I’ve probably felt more like ‘Leish’ than I ever have.

“It’s so windy so you’re chipping a lot and it’s probably good for what we’re working on.

“Being in such brutal conditions, if you get stiff out there the fairway gets a lot smaller.”

There is a three-stroke gap from John and Barbieri to a trio of players at 5-under, Queensland amateur Quinn Croker (70), Matias Sanchez (73) and Griffin eight shots off the lead.

A total of 54 players made the cut which fell at 3-over, Order of Merit winner Kazuma Kobori (73) squeezing into the weekend on the number.

The final two rounds of The National Tournament will be broadcast live on Fox Sports, through Foxtel and Kayo, on Saturday and Sunday.