Allen first in second

MARK ALLEN fired five birdies to stretch his lead to two shots after the second round of the New Zealand Open golf yesterday.

MARK ALLEN fired five birdies to stretch his lead to two shots after the second round of the New Zealand Open golf yesterday.

The Australian finds himself leading a tournament at the halfway mark for the first time. Despite his birdies, Allen also hit four bogeys and finished with a one under par 69 that put him on a seven under par 133.

He heads Peter Lonard who, along with Peter Senior, shot the day's best score of three under 68 by two shots, with New Zealand's Michael Long a stroke further back.

Allen, a 27 year old from Victoria, has felt in great touch over the past month and said he adjusted his swing after looking at a golf magazine story that examined the best swings in the history of golf.

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. A level par 70 gave Rodrigo Cuello of the Philippines a narrow one shot lead after the second round of the Hong Kong Open yesterday.

Overnight leader Don Walsworth remains in contention with a one under par aggregrate 139, one shot behind Cuello.