Woosnam's lesson sorted me out - Webster

England’s Steve Webster had Ian Woosnam to thank for a remarkable change in fortunes after he stormed into the clubhouse lead at the halfway stage of the ANZ Championship.

Webster, who has finished runner-up on the European Tour four times in his career, missed the cut at the dunhill Championship in Johannesburg and again last week at the Heineken Classic.

To admonish to himself for his performances, Webster broke his normal routine and headed for the practice range at Royal Melbourne in a bid to work out just where it was all going wrong.

There, the 29-year-old bumped into Woosnam and was given a four-hour lesson that revitalised his game.

Today he shot a second consecutive 66 featuring seven birdies and one bogey which, in the modified stableford format, translates into 13 points.

It took him onto 27 for the tournament and earned a four-shot clubhouse lead from defending champion Paul Casey on 23, with Peter O’Malley and Michael Campbell tied for third on 22.

“I went to the practice range on Saturday. I normally wouldn’t go up but I though I have got to punish myself a little bit because it felt terrible,” said Webster afterwards.

“Woosie gave me a lesson for four hours, he got me hitting it really well again.

“I was swinging terrible and he told me that. My set-up was all out, my ball position, just about everything. He had a good look at me and gave me a few bits of advice.

“Everything was aimed left and the ball was going to the right. South Africa was really windy – the ball position was out and my shoulders were tilted the wrong way.

“Woosie had a quick look. He saw straight away I wasn’t swinging right. I normally feel quite a natural swinger of the club.

“He is a great natural golfer. It was very simple what he told me but it was very hard to do it at first because my swing was off plane.

“But I am starting to get a feel for it.”

Webster was the outstanding performer yesterday afternoon as he combated the winds to finish tied for third on 14 points, a performance in no small part down to a new mental approach to the game.

“I am just trying to clear my mind of everything. I have been thinking of too many things on the golf course and my mind wanders off,” he said.

“All I am trying to do this week is focus on what Woosie told me to do with my swing. It’s keeping me focused with what I am doing instead of my mind wandering off.”

All the others around him – overnight leader Nick O’Hern, England’s John Bickerton and amateur Nick Flanagan – had enjoyed the fairer morning conditions.

He took full advantage of a morning tee-off today with seven birdies and just the one bogey, leaving him four points clear of Casey.

The defending champion made a 10-shot improvement from his opening round, shooting a 63 containing 10 birdies and the one dropped shot for 19 points.

“I am very happy,” he said. “I felt like I played some nice holes yesterday and I made quite a few birdies and an eagle but far too many mistakes.

“Today was the same sort of thing but without the mistakes, just the one dropped shot that in the scale of things was not a big deal because birdies are more important than bogeys.

“After two rounds I am very happy with the position I am in.”

Overnight leader O’Hern began slowly today, carding two birdies and two bogeys on his outward nine to earn just two points and move onto 20.

Bradley Hughes surged into contention with a 64 to match Casey’s haul of 19 points having started out with none this morning.

Laura Davies’ bid to make the cut looked dead in the water just two holes in when she picked her ball up to accept minus points and followed up with bogeys on six and eight to slip back from minus one point to minus five.