Day two digest: Australian PGA Championship

Everything you need to know from day two at RACV Royal Pines Resort.

A rising star made a big impact, local heroes continued to challenge and family ties came to the fore on day two of the Australian PGA Championship.

Here is everything you need to know from day two at RACV Royal Pines Resort.

Yuan makes a splash

Carl Yuan got some tongues wagging when he finished in the top 20 at the WGC-HSBC Champions in just his seventh European Tour event. Now, at his eighth, everyone knows about the 22-year-old Chinese after he carded an excellent 65 to get to nine under and lead the way into the weekend. He showed all his quality on the front nine to turn in 30 and then all his mettle on the back as he recovered from three bogeys to get to nine under. "It was a great day," he said. "I played great, played smart, stuck to the plan. I was fortunate enough that I got a couple of really long putts dropped through the round. I made two little mistakes but really pulled myself together and kept it going."

Aussie, Aussie Aussie!

A Chinese player may sit at the top of the leaderboard but it is still dominated by blue and stars. Anthony Quayle is just a shot off the lead and there is then the small matter of a former World Number One in Adam Scott at seven under. European Tour winner Wade Ormsby is alongside Scott with Tom Power Horan, Cameron Smith, Travis Smyth, Brett Rankin, Min Woo Lee and Rhein Gibson all in the top ten.

A family affair

The old adage goes that as a professional golfer on Tour you often see more of your caddie than your partner but Bryce Easton has found an easy way to get around that. The South African has wife Lauren on the bag and that is not just for this week, Mrs Easton has been his regular caddie for the last 18 months. That has coincided with his best finish on the European Tour, a fine season on the European Challenge Tour and a World Golf Championships debut. A 68 on Friday moved Team Easton right into contention heading into the weekend and Bryce is loving sharing the Tour experience with Lauren. "It’s a tough gig and the fact we are doing it together has been huge," he said. "It’s been a year and a half that she has been caddying and we’re loving it. The different places we get to go to and we can experience it together, which is a bit unique."

Remembering Jarrod

RACV Royal Pines Resort was turned into a sea of yellow on Friday as the golfing world paid tribute to Jarrod Lyle. The incredibly popular Australian lost his battle with leukemia last year at the age of 36 but he was with us in spirit on the Gold Coast as players and fans alike donned yellow to raise funds and awareness in his memory. We miss you, Jarrod.

Smith reignites history bid

Sir Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Ernie Els, Tiger Woods and Colin Montgomerie - that is the sort of company Cameron Smith was looking to join this week with a third consecutive win. After an opening 74 his chances looked pretty slim but he hit back with a stunning bogey free 65 on day two to get back in the mix. "What a difference a day can make," he said after improving his score by nine shots. The bounceback of a champion?