Golf: Poulter battles to hold lead in Melbourne

MELBOURNE: Briton Ian Poulter battled a bout of food-poisoning amid sweltering afternoon heat but emerged two strokes clear after the second-round of the Australian Masters. World number one Luke Donald also toiled but is still in striking distance of Poulter, who complained of feeling drained and nauseous throughout his patient round of 68. Donald, four strokes adrift overnight, appeared set to make a charge with birdies on the sixth and seventh holes but had the wind taken out of his sails with a horrid bunker episode on the par-four eighth.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2011.