Ferocious winds once again made controlling a golf ball next to impossible across the Gunnamatta Course on Friday. Only 14 players were able to break par, with Daniel Gale and Zach Murray both posting 4-under 68 to share low round of the day.

Armstrong was the only player to birdie the 187-metre par-3 16th on Friday, a handy pick up which helped him to shoot 2-under 70 and 6-under total, two clear of Matthew Griffin (70), with Victorian Matias Sanchez (71) third at 3-under.

It’s been two months since Armstrong led at the halfway mark of the Webex Players Series Murray River event at Cobram-Barooga. He was 4-under through 10 holes of Round 3, only to drop six shots in the space of five holes and fall from contention.

It was a harsh lesson, but one the 26-year-old is ready to put to good use as he chases a maiden victory in the final event of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season.

“To be honest with you, I used to get too caught up in what everyone else was doing,” admitted Armstrong.

“I think Cobram was actually a great learning experience for me. Even though I definitely fell away, it was probably one of the best things that could have happened to me at that point in time because I learned so much from it.

“It kind of reiterated that I’ve just got to keep concentrating on me and hitting good golf shots.

“I can’t control what everyone else is going to do. Me and my old man have a saying, which is ‘Control what you can control’ and that’s all I’m really trying to do.”

The creativity needed to conquer the golf course and the conditions was never more evident than Armstrong’s shot into the 16th.

The second-toughest hole of the week to date, Armstrong lasered a 5-iron that got little more than six feet off the ground to finish pin-high 35 right of a hole cut close to the left edge of the green.

“I was trying to hit a 40-yard hook against that wind and keeping it head high. And yeah, I hit exactly the shot I wanted to,” he added.

“I was fortunate to make two at the end of it.

“It’s unexpected, let’s put it that way.”

A breakthrough winner at The National two years ago, Cameron John is in the hunt for a third win this season after a round of 2-under 70 in Round 2.

He will start Saturday second on the Order of Merit and in a tie for seventh, five strokes off the lead and left to rue a run of three straight bogeys on the back nine and a wicked lip-out for birdie at the par-4 17th.

“There’s some things that have made you laugh and that was definitely one of them,” John said of the conditions players have faced the past two days.

“That was in the right edge with about an inch to go and then it got a gust of wind and then all of a sudden, it missed on the left edge and then it came back around and went around the left edge again.

“It was the biggest horseshoe I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Daniel Gale also delivered one of the shots of the day on Friday; his 435-metre drive at the par-4 10th setting up his second eagle of the day as he moved into a tie for fourth at 2-under par alongside fellow Sydneysiders Nathan Barbieri (69) and John Lyras (73).

Currently leading the race for Rookie of the Year honours, Declan O’Donovan (72) made the cut on the number despite finishing his round with three straight bogeys, while Kiwi Jayden Ford bolstered his hopes of pushing inside the top 50 on the Order of Merit with consecutive eagles at one and two in his round of 1-over 73 to be tied 19th.

Round 3 tees off at 9:29am AEDT on Saturday, with TV coverage to begin at 3pm on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo Sports. The final round on Sunday will be broadcast live from 1pm-6pm AEDT on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo Sports.