The associate professional at nearby Gainsborough Greens followed up his opening round 67 with a 69 today to be 10-under-par for the tournament, three shots clear of ACT’s Lachlan Chamberlain (69-70).

In last year’s event, Stephenson led by four at the halfway mark before eventually finishing third.

“Everything’s in a good spot,” the 32-year-old said.

“Head feels good, swing feels good. Last year was last year, this year’s this year so it is just going to be about staying present, staying patient and just trying to execute my game plan.”

Stephenson has had 13 birdies throughout the first two rounds but noted the par-5s at Windaroo had not been as gettable as they were in this championship last October.

“A lot of the fives, which were probably iron into last year, are now either a 3-iron hybrid or a 3-wood,” he said.

“It’s more about leaving those approaches in the right spot around the greens to give yourself an easy up and down.”

Chamberlain, with top-10s on his record from both the NSW and Victoria Associate Championships, is on his first visit to Windaroo Lakes but has shown he will be a threat over the final two rounds.

“It’s my first time seeing the course and I’m enjoying it,” he said.

“Getting used to the grain has been a little bit tricky coming from Canberra so that’s been a bit of an adjustment.”

The big move in the second round came from Jordan Rooke who followed an opening 79 with a 4-under-par 69 to climb to a share of 13th place.

With the support of Brisbane-based concreting company Zigcrete, this year’s championship boasts minimum total prize money of $47,500 and has become one of the most prestigious tournaments for those on the path to becoming a PGA Professional. 

Leaderboard

1 Damon Stephenson – 67-69 (136)

2 Lachlan Chamberlain – 69-70 (139)

3 Beau Lavery – 69-71 (140)

4 Jack Wright – 70-72 (142)

T5 Drew Herbert – 72-71 (143)

T5 Dylan Knox – 73-70 (143)

T7 Bronson White – 69-76 (145)

T7 Justin Morley – 71-74 (145)

T7 Minami Inoue – 75-70 (146)