IAN POULTER HAS maintained his lead in the JBWere Australian Masters, the Englishman currently two shots clear of the field in Melbourne.
The Englishman had a steady round where he managed to birdie all three par-fives and only bogeyed once.
He stands on nine-under, with Matthew Giles leading a slew of chasing Australians on seven-under.
The closest Briton to Poulter is world number one and Race to Dubai winner Luke Donald, who carded a respectable 70 to leave himself on three-under for the tournament, six shots off his compatriot.
Donald believes he can overcome the inconsistency of his first two rounds to challenge over the weekend.
“I hit a lot of good shots today but I’ve been struggling on the greens,” he said.
“I’m finding it hard to see the line and missing my fair share of chances for birdie. Hopefully I’m saving them all for the weekend.
“I’m still in a decent position, I just need to get that putter going and get on a roll.”
