Journeyman professional Michael Wright eclipsed the galaxy of young stars playing in the Kolon-Hana Bank Korea Open to take the halfway lead Friday at Woo Jeung Hills Golf Club. The 35-year-old Australian fired a five-under-par 66 for a two-stroke lead over Koreans Kim Dae-Hyun and Choi Joon-Woo. Kim, joint round leader with Wright, shot a 68 while Choi carded 66. Wright leads the second event of the year on the new OneAsia Tour with a total of nine-under-par 133. Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland and Japan's Ryo Ishikawa are six off the lead after carding rounds of 68 and 69 respectively. New Zealand's Danny Lee is level par for the tournament along with defending champion Bae Sang-Moon from South Korea after they both scored their second successive 71s. The Australian raced into the lead with birdies on one, three, six, eight and 11. He dropped his only shot of the day on 16th before making a birdie on the par five 18th. Wright has been playing some of the best of his 10-year professional career this season having recorded two impressive PGA of Australia victories. In what looks to be an exciting weekend of golf, 20-year-old McIlroy and Ishikawa, 17, will be paired together Saturday. McIlroy birdied 17 and 18 to put himself in contention. Teen sensation Ishikawa started his round on the back nine and like McIlroy roared back into the tournament with a strong finish. He played his second nine in four under with birdies on the first, second, seventh and ninth. A double bogey on the par-three 13th was the only real blemish to his round. Korea's Kim Dae-sub is four behind after a 70. Hansen slips Briton Chris Wood and Australian Scott Strange benefited from a late lapse by Denmark's Soren Hansen to lead the Mercedes-Benz Masters after Friday's second round. Hansen, the first round leader, drove into the lake at the 18th hole and double-bogeyed to hand a one-shot lead to Strange (68) and Wood (69) on nine-under-par 135s. Briton Ross Fisher (69) and South African James Kingston (69) share third place with Hansen (71). Wood continued his bid for a maiden title in his first full year on tour. The English 21-year-old sprang to the fore by winning the silver medal as top amateur and finishing fifth in the 2008 British Open. This year he came within a stroke of making the playoff in the same major as a professional when finishing third at Turnberry behind winner Stewart Cink and runner-up Tom Watson. Wood said he would feed off his two majors experiences as he tries for his maiden victory. “They were two great experiences and things don't come more pressurised than that,” Wood told reporters. “You can't get more pressure than trying to win the (British) Open. That's only going to help me over the weekend.” Europe's captain at Celtic Manor next year, Colin Montgomerie, drew within six strokes of the lead with a 69.
