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C.J. Brock will take lead into Texas Mid-Amateur final round
C.J. Brock during Texas Mid-Amateur first round <br>(TXGA Photo)
C.J. Brock during Texas Mid-Amateur first round
(TXGA Photo)

BEE CAVE, TX (September 25, 2016) -- The second round restart of the Texas Mid-Amateur was favorable for leader C.J. Brock. After darkness suspended play on Saturday Brock returned to the Spanish Oaks Golf Club for the final four holes of his round and promptly jarred the second shot of his day on the par-4 15th.

The shot moved Brock to 6-under (68-68) and that is where he will begin the final round. Colby Harwell is in second place at 3-under.

Three others are tied for third at 1-under with the final round set to begin late this morning.

-Story by AmateurGolf.com Staff

DAY TWO RECAP
-Story by Texas Golf Association

The second round of the 2016 Texas Mid-Amateur Championship was suspended due to darkness at 7:26 p.m. on Saturday. Play will resume Sunday at 7:30 a.m. at Spanish Oaks Golf Club. The final round of the 54- hole, stroke-play championship will commence following the conclusion of the second round.

Colby Harwell from San Antonio holds the clubhouse lead at 3-under-par 139. He finished early on Saturday and posted a 1-under 70 that featured five birdies, including three in a row on his 10th, 11th and 12th holes. Harwell, part of Texas’ victorious 2014 U.S. State Team Championship squad, shot a 2-under 69 in Friday’s opening round.

“All of the sudden I found my bread-and-butter shot,” said Harwell, winner of the 2013 and ’16 Carlton Woods Invitational and 2013 Crane Cup. “I like to work the ball right to left, and I found that again. I’m comfortable over the ball and I can take a cut without worrying about the right side of the course.”

Still on the course when darkness halted play, C.J. Brock from Richardson holds the overall lead at 4- under par. The long-hitting lefthander has four holes remaining in his second round. Brock, the leader after the first round, made a birdie on the par-3 14th and elected not to tee off on No. 15 as dusk settled in at Spanish Oaks.

Also yet to complete his second round is Brian Noonan from Austin. He’s tied with Harwell at 3- under par. Christopher Wheeler from Addison and Kevin Doskocil from Fort Worth finished their second rounds and share fourth place at 1-under 141. Wheeler shot an even-par round of 71 on Saturday; Doskocil signed for a 1-over 72.

All three players tied for sixth place were able to complete their second rounds. Rick Sulzer from Carrollton, J.J. Wall from San Antonio and Josh Irving from Dallas currently sit at even-par 142. For up-to- date scoring, click here.

Once the second round concludes, the field will be cut to the low 54 scores, including ties. As of the suspension of play, 57 players were at 12-over 154; however, several of those players have yet to finish the second round.

During the afternoon wave of Saturday’s second round, lightning in the area created a dangerous situation and caused play to be suspended at 4:44 p.m. It was a brief halt, and play resumed at 5:33 p.m.

Stephen Paterson from Austin shot the day’s low round, a sizzling 5-under 66 that saw him hit all 18 greens in regulation. It was quite a bounce-back effort from the 40-year-old computer engineer. He shot 10- over 81 in the first round.

“I just wasn’t trying to push it too much today,” said Patterson, who finished ninth at the 2006 Texas Amateur and 14th in 2014 and ’15. “I didn’t hit it that bad yesterday. I just haven’t had enough competitive rounds on this course.”

Kip Guidry from Missouri City made the tournament’s second hole-in-one when he aced the 125-yard, par-3 14th hole on Saturday.

“It landed four feet right of the hole, spun left and disappeared,” said the 50-year-old Guidry, who had his 81-year-old father Kirby caddying for him.

Guidry shot a second round 78. Harwell aced the same home in Friday’s first round.


ROUND ONE RECAP

C.J. Brock didn’t hesitate when asked about the key to the 3-under- par 68 he shot on Friday to lead the 2016 Texas Mid- Amateur Championship after one round at Spanish Oaks Golf Club.

“Patience,” said Brock, a 39-year-old partner of a Dallas-based marketing and advertising firm. “This is a plodder’s course. You have to be patient and think out there. This course will eat you alive in a second if you try to step on the gas.”

Brock said his methodical approach helped him stay in the fairway for most of the day. He missed just three fairways in regulation and never took more than two putts on any green. He leads six golfers by one shot headed into Saturday’s second of three rounds at one of the more challenging courses in Texas.

“I hit a great drive on my first hole and had 111 yards to the hole,” said Brock, who started on the 388- yard, par-4 10th. “I hit my approach over the green and made a bogey. Normally, that would get me hot under the collar. But I told myself to stay calm. It’s a long tournament, and I was bound to make a bogey somewhere.”

Brock, who played in the U.S. Mid-Amateur two weeks ago, shook off the shaky start and remained engaged. He hit driver, 3-wood to six feet on his second hole, which was the 505-yard, par-5 11th. When he rolled in the eagle putt, he felt rewarded by the self- control he exhibited after the hiccup a hole earlier.

Among those a shot back is San Antonio’s Colby Harwell, a 31-year-old realtor who won a USGA National Championship in 2014 as one-third of the U.S. State Team Championship squad. Harwell’s 2-under 69 came thanks in large part from one swing of his trusty pitching wedge. He aced the 154-yard, par-3 14th.

“I teed the ball up a little higher than usual to take a little spin off it,” Harwell said. “It landed five feet short and 10 feet to the right. It turned over and rolled right in the cup.”

Also one shot back is Josh Irving from Dallas. He’s the reigning Texas Player of the Year and also made it to the Quarterfinals of this month’s U.S. Mid- Amateur at Stonewall Links in Everson, Pa. After advancing through the 36-hole stroke play Qualifier at Stonewall Links, Irving proceeded to win three matches.

The others who shot 2-under 69 on Friday and trail Brock by one shot include Andrew Wyatt from Midland, J.J. Wall from San Antonio and Kevin Doskocil and Scott Volpitto from Fort Worth.

Three more players are just two shots back. Patrick Datz, a Spanish Oaks member from Austin, Christopher Wheeler from Addison and Rick Sulzer from Carrollton all posted 1-under 70s.

Playing at only 6,925 yards as a par-71 track, the breathtaking Spanish Oaks course packed plenty of bite against a field of the best mid-amateurs in the state. The collective scoring average was more than seven shots over par at 78.08. Ranked as the third best private course in Texas by Golf Digest, Spanish Oaks challenges golfers with a series of blind tee shots and forced carries over hazardous canyons and ravines.

Designed in 2001 by Bobby Weed, the PGA Tour’s former in-house architect, Spanish Oaks also features large, rolling greens. The TiffEagle Bermuda grass putting surfaces have the kind of subtle breaks and gentle slopes that take time and repetition to understand, let alone conquer.

While many players struggled to find a level of comfort on the Hill Country course, 10 percent of the field – 13 golfers – posted scores of even par or better. Ten mid-amateurs finished under par for the first round.

“If you stay between the thick stuff out here, you can score,” Wall said. “The course is in such good condition, especially the greens. You just have to stay out of trouble.”

View results for Texas Mid-Amateur

ABOUT THE Texas Mid-Amateur

Eligibility: Entries are open to male golfers with a USGA Handicap index of 8.4 or less, and who are 25 years of age or older by the first day of championship qualifying.

Format/Field Size: 54 holes of stroke play. At the completion of 36 holes the field is cut to the low 54 players and ties. The field is limited to 132 players.

Mid-Master Recognition: In addition to the overall champion, an award will be given to the low Mid- Master finisher. (Mid-Master – any player 40+ years of age)

View Complete Tournament Information

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