Campbell cards 65 to lead Ladies Masters

Karrie Webb didn't expect her call to Australia's young golfers to lift their games
to be taken up quite so quickly.

The former world No.1 declared this week she didn't want to be Australia's
highest-ranked golfer by the time she was 40, throwing out a challenge to the
younger brigade to step up.
And step up they did.
As Webb (73) struggled to post a second round score in the ANZ Ladies Masters at
Royal Pines, three emerging young Aussies took her call to heart, reclaiming the
leaderboard from the foreign invaders.
Canberra's Nikki Campbell, who plays most of her golf in Japan, led the Aussie
assault, and the tournament, on 10-under par after adding a blistering 65 to her
opening three-under 69.
"I hit a few bad shots but made a few good recoveries, including chipping in on the
12th," said Campbell.
"Putting is the key to playing this course well.
"I really don't know if I am a frontrunner. I'll try and go out again tomorrow with
a good attitude."
Chasing her was 20-year-old West Australian Kristie Smith who set the course alight
with 12 birdies, equalling Webb's 2007 record low of 62 with her dad, former
professional Wayne Smith, and mum, Kelly, both in the gallery.
"Twelve birdies in a round? ... I never had 12 birdies in a tournament," joked
Smith's proud dad.
Right on their heels was impressive Sunshine Coast 26-year-old Katherine Hull who
hit 16 greens in regulation on the way to a five-under 67 to be two shots off the
halfway pace.
Smith, armed with a new cross-hand grip, had the course buzzing as she knocked in
seven successive birdies to equal the European Tour's record of consecutive birdies
before a bad bunker lie stopped her white hot streak.
"My best score was 66, I've just beaten that by four shots, I'm stoked," she beamed.
Hull, who says golf isn't "rocket science". described her radar-like round as
"pretty simple".
While Hull understated the difficulty of the sport she plays, she didn't downplay
how much she wanted to win the Masters in her home country.
"I'd love to win here," she said.
"Growing up as a kid you dream about winning the ANZ Ladies Masters or the Aussie
Open, it's just what you do."
Webb has a mountain of work in front of her but she did come from seven shots behind
at the halfway mark to win in 2007.
Defending champion Lisa Hall (78-74) from Scotland missed the cut which was two-over
par.