36-hole leader Austin Zoller on Friday
(Carolinas Amateur Photo)
CHARLESTON, SC (July 15, 2016) -- 20-year-old Austin
Zoller of Summerville, S.C. fired the low round Friday, a
three-under-par 67 on the par 70 layout at the Country
Club of Charleston. Starting his round one-under for
the championship, Zoller got off to a slow start, playing
his first eight holes one-over-par. He would make up
ground by converting birdies on all three par fives on
the championship layout, then added two more birdies
at par-4 Nos. 12 and 17. "I was waiting on putts to go
in," said Zoller, a rising sophomore at Winthrop
University.
Zoller credits his comfort with the course to a
practice round played with Winthrop teammate and CC
of Charleston member Christian Sease. The advice from
Sease, as well as from his caddie Matthew Hardin,
guided him to a two-day total of four-under 136. Zoller
holds a two stroke lead heading into the weekend's final
two rounds. "I played smart both days," said Zoller,
who made it to the quarterfinals of this year's South
Carolina Amateur Match Play Championship at Bear
Creek Golf Club. "Today I just had a few better misses."
Four other players posted three-under 67 on
Friday: Preston Cole of Greer, S.C., Eric Edwards of
Salisbury, N.C., Kevin O'Connell of Raleigh, N.C. and
2012 Carolinas Amateur champion Carson Young of
Pendleton, S.C.
Four players are tied for second, two shots behind
Zoller. Julian Keur of Summerville, S.C., Tim Conover of
Holly Springs, N.C., Hunter Watkins, 26, of Lexington,
S.C., and Justin Tereshko of Jamestown, N.C. will try to
catch Zoller this weekend. Keur, 20, is a junior at
Charleston Southern University. Conover, also 20, is a
junior at East Carolina University and fresh off his
victory at the North & South Amateur earlier this month.
26-year-old Tereshko, the golf coach at Guilford
College, is looking to get his first CGA win following a
second runner-up finish at the North Carolina Amateur
in as many years.
First round leader Scott Harvey of Kernersville, N.C.
stumbled Friday, making just one birdie to combat four
bogeys and a double bogey. His second round 75 drops
him to one-over-par for the championship and five
strokes off the lead.
The field was cut to the top 60 players plus ties for
the final two rounds. The cut line fell at 145 (five-over-
par) with 61 players making it to the weekend. Eleven
players are under par thru two rounds at the Country
Club of Charleston.
The third round is scheduled to begin at 8:00am on
Saturday from the #1 and #10 tees.
Three-time defending champion Carter Jenkins of
Raleigh, N.C., has since turned professional, playing on
the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada.
ABOUT THE Carolinas Amateur
The championship is conducted at 72 holes of stroke
play. After 36 holes, there is a cut to the low 60
scores and ties. Entry is open to any male amateur
golfer who has reached his 13th birthday by the first
day of the championship, is a legal resident of North
Carolina or South Carolina, is a member in good
standing of a club which is a member of the CGA
and
has an active GHIN USGA Handicap Index at a CGA
member club that does not exceed 9.9.
The Frank F. Capers Cup Team Competition is held
during rounds one and two of the Carolinas Amateur
Championship. Three or four bona fide members
from the same club comprise a team. The low three
scores count each round.
Format changed from match play to stroke
play in 2010.
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