Human highlights reel Min Woo Lee has lit up Royal Melbourne to move within a shot of the lead as his superstar playing partner Rory McIlroy briefly threatened to miss the halfway cut on a dramatic day two of the Australian Open.
The stand-out moment of Lee's second round came when he holed out with a long-range approach shot for eagle on the par-4 10th, raising both arms in triumph.
Four holes later, McIlroy endured his lowest point when he had a rare air swing after his tee shot finished up under a ti-tree.
The Northern Irishman escaped with a one-putt bogey on the second easiest hole on the course and briefly slipped below the cut line.
"Honestly I can't remember the last time I had a fresh-air shot," McIlroy said.
"Not one of my finest moments."
But McIlroy showed his class to birdie three of the last four holes, signing for a three-under 68 to make the cut by three shots at two under.
Lee had four birdies to go with his hole-out eagle in a flawless six-under 65, which had him in outright third spot at eight under, a single shot behind Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (66) and Portugal's Daniel Rodrigues, who carded the day's low round of 64.
Most of Australia's big guns are in the thick of the action going into the weekend action, headed by Lee.
Former Masters champion Adam Scott (66) rolled in a clutch par putt on the 18th to join countryman Cameron Smith (65) and Mexico's Carlos Ortiz in a tie for fourth at seven under.
After a string of missed cuts in 2025 -- including at all four majors -- Smith enjoyed one of his best days of a difficult year.
The 2022 British Open champion roared into contention for a first Australian Open title, capping off a great day with a curling birdie putt on the 18th.
Rising Danish star Neergaard-Petersen locked into the sandbelt mindset as he took a share of the lead.
Fresh off a successful first full year on the DP World Tour, Neergaard-Petersen picked up four shots in three holes early in his second round on Friday and added two further birdies coming home to sign for a 66.
"It makes a difference, certainly knowing what to expect," said the Dane, who has played several recent rounds at nearby Peninsula-Kingswood with his close friend and DP World Tour colleague David Micheluzzi.
"The eagle I made today, it's one of those shots you're never normally thinking about.
"I had a six iron and you're landing it five steps short of the green. But that's some of the shots you've got to hit here.
"It's kind of getting into that sandbelt mindset, which I think definitely helped."