36-hole leader Sean Rowen (IGA photo)
COLUMBUS, Ind. — After 36 holes, the lead is
three at the 115th Indiana Amateur
Championship. Sean Rowen of Greenwood
maintained his first round lead today at Otter
Creek GC in Columbus after adding a 3-under-
par, 69 to yesterday’s 68. The 2014 IGA John K.
David Player of the Year looks for his first ever
State Am title, with the possibility to win in
wire-to-wire fashion.
“It’s always been a goal of mine to win a State
Am and for one reason or another it has yet to
work out,” Rowen said. “If I were able to finish
it off, that would be very special and to win
wire-to-wire would be an added bonus.”
Rowen’s 7-under-par 36-hole total is a
tremendous start for the State Am. He
attributes his success so far this week to the
visually appealing course.
“Otter Creek just sets up really well for my
game,” Rowen said. “For the most part, I’m a
straight hitter and with the rough being so thick,
keeping the ball in the fairway is very important.
Hole six can be a nemesis of mine and I am yet
to figure out the best way to play it. Other than
that I feel very confident out here.”
Finishing in a close second on day two was
Andrew Havill of Carmel who put the pressure
on with an ace on the 146 yard, par-3, 8th and a
round two score of 5-under-par, 67.
“It was into the wind, blowing a little left to right
and I hit a choke down 9-iron,” Havill said. “It
hovered in the air for a second and then the
wind grabbed it and it rolled right towards the
cup. I yelled ‘go in’ and it did!”
Havill is a rising junior at Indiana University and
looks for his first win in an Indiana Golf event.
His best finish to-date came at the Indiana PGA
Northern Open, where he finished runner-up at
Kampen GC in West Lafayette.
“My round was bogey free today and I hit the
ball really well,” Havill said. “At this point I’m
right where I want to be. Coming into this
event, I felt like I had the game to put myself in
contention, but the competition is great and I
know it will take tremendous golf the next
couple of days to win it.”
Rylan Porter of Mooresville has also proved to
be a player to watch this week. Porter posted a
3-under-par, 69 this morning and stands alone in
third at 3-under-par.
“The position I’m in is right where I want to be,”
Porter said. “Every year my goal is to finish
high enough to be exempt for the following year,
but this year I felt like I actually had a chance to
contend and I hope to be in a similar position
heading to the final round.”
Playing on their home course, 2014 IHSAA State
Co-Champions and former high school
teammates Christian Fairbanks and Michael
VanDeventer find themselves once again tied
and near the top of the leaderboard. Fairbanks
and VanDeventer posted 36-hole totals of 2-
under-par, 142.
“Thinking ahead hurt me a little bit today, but
I’m still excited to be in this position,” said
Fairbanks, a rising sophomore at Indiana
University. “I’ve aimed at the same trees, signs
and landmarks for years, so it is important to be
specific when choosing targets and to continue to
go through the process, despite knowing the
course so well.”
Fairbanks has his dad on the bag and will have
his former teammate by his side for tomorrow’s
round.
“There will definitely be some friendly
competition tomorrow between me and
Fairbanks,” VanDeventer said. “It might work in
our advantage to be paired together because it
will feel like a casual round on our home
course.”
VanDeventer, a rising sophomore at Ball State
University, added a 3-under-par to yesterday’s
73 to put himself in this position and says a win
at Otter Creek would be very special.
“If I were able to win this event it would really
mean a lot to me. It’s a big tournament with
some great players. It would be an honor to be
deemed the state’s top amateur.”
Jeffrey Mayer of Garret also posted a two day
total of 2-under-par, 142 and is tied for fourth.
After today’s round the field was cut to the low
60 players and ties at 8-over-par, 152.
Tee times will begin tomorrow morning at 8
a.m.
View results for Indiana Amateur
ABOUT THE Indiana Amateur
District Qualifiers for non-exempt players.
18-hole qualifier, 72-hole championship. Players must
have an Indiana address and a handicap of no greater
than 9.9.
View Complete Tournament Information