MELBOURNE, Australia — Following the second round of the Australian Open, Lucas Herbert maintained his lead, while South Korean amateur Hyojin Yang made a noteworthy birdie on her final hole to take charge at the concurrently held Women’s Australian Open, which is taking place across two renowned courses on the Melbourne sand belt.

The tournaments are utilizing alternating tee times and feature equal prize money for the second year in a row. They are being played on the par-72 Kingston Heath (par-73 for the Women’s Open) and the par-71 Victoria Golf Club.

Herbert, the leader after the first round, recorded an impressive 66 on Friday at Kingston Heath, putting him at a combined total of 14-under 129, granting him a comfortable four-stroke advantage as the competitors head into the weekend, where only Kingston Heath will be in use.

American golfer Ryggs Johnston stands in second place after carding a 68 at Victoria Golf Club. Meanwhile, Elvis Smylie, who emerged victorious at the recent Australian PGA championship, delivered a remarkable 64 at Kingston Heath, placing him in a tie for third, five strokes back from the leader Herbert.

In the same tournament, Cameron Smith, the 2022 British Open champion and Australian compatriot, struggled to a score of 72 at Kingston Heath. His group, which included Smylie, was cautioned for slow play, which affected his performance on the back nine. Smith finds himself eight strokes behind Herbert after the two rounds.

Smith reflected on his challenges, commenting, “We got on the clock there and it didn’t seem like we were playing that slow, and it felt like we were just rushing. Made some really poor decisions mentally, leading to a few bogeys. Once you get caught in that rhythm in the wind, it’s tough to recover.”

Defending men’s champion Joaquin Niemann kept pace with a 66 at Victoria, bringing him to 4-under and placing him ten strokes off the leader’s pace.

In the Women’s Australian Open, Hyojin Yang shot a solid 71 at Kingston Heath, wrapping up the second round with a total of 9-under 136 for a one-stroke lead. Jiyai Shin is tied for second following a 68 also at Kingston Heath.

Hannah Green, the 2019 Women’s PGA Championship winner, finished strong with two birdies for a 71 at Victoria, leaving her two strokes off the lead in fourth place. “It felt great to finish with two par-5s and get those birdies, setting a positive tone and good momentum going into the weekend,” Green noted.

Defending women’s champion Ashleigh Buhai recorded a 68, sitting at 4-under and five strokes behind the leader. She faced an uphill battle earlier in the first round, at one point falling nine strokes back from the lead.

LPGA Tour regular Minjee Lee struggled with a 74 at Victoria, landing her at 3-over, while her brother Min Woo Lee, competing on the PGA Tour, posted a score of 69 at Victoria, putting him at 3-under for the tournament.