DALLAS, TX (June 16, 2017) - Brady Purdom from Friendswood birdied two of his final three holes Friday to shoot 1-under-par 70 in the second round of the 108th Texas Amateur. Those two birdies proved to be his margin over the 144-player field at historic Lakewood Country Club after two rounds of the 72-hole championship. Purdom, who led after the first round with a 6-under 66, maintained his lead and now sits at 7-under 135 overall. The University of Houston at Clear Lake senior takes a two-stroke advantage into Saturday’s third round over Parker Coody of Plano, Hunter Shattuck of Jacksonville and Zander Lozano of Fair Oaks Ranch. All three are tied for second place at 5-under 137.

Purdom played in the morning wave Friday, when milder temperatures and slight breezes created ideal scoring conditions. He started with a birdie on his second hole, the par-4 11th, before he stumbled with bogeys on his fourth and seventh holes. Purdom, the runner-up at the 2016 West Texas Amateur, played his back nine in 2-under to solidify his 36-hole lead. Parker, meanwhile, went out in the afternoon wave. As the day wore on, temperatures rose to the high-90s and pushed the heat index north of 105. The winds kicked up around 15-20 mph and created a more challenging atmosphere. Parker was up to the task, however. He posted 2-under 69, thanks in large part to his efforts on his final two holes. After a lost ball led to triple-bogey on the par-4 sixth – Parker’s 15th hole – he rebounded in style with a birdie on the par-4 eighth and an eagle on the par-5 ninth hole. “I hit 2-iron off the tee on No. 9,” said Coody, who finished runner-up at Lakewood in the Legends Junior Tour’s 2016 Byron Nelson Junior Championship. “I had 241 yards to the green. I hit a 5-iron to six feet and rolled it right in. I putted really well today.”

Shattuck could say the same thing. He also shot 2-under 69 in the second round. The Baylor senior who helped the Bears advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship last month made five birdies on the day. “I got a couple putts to go in early,” said Shattuck, who had a sneak preview of the 108th Texas Amateur on June 5 when he played 36 holes at Lakewood in the U.S. Open sectional qualifier. “I drove it really well all day and managed to hit a lot of fairways. I put myself in good positions off the tee. I had a couple sloppy bogeys, but I had enough good opportunities from the fairway to make some birdies coming in.” Lozano, a senior at UT-San Antonio, shot 1-under 70 after his opening round 67. A winner of two collegiate tournaments last season to go with seven top-20 finishes, Lozano said he struggled Friday with his longer clubs. “I definitely didn’t hit my tee shots as good today,” said Lozano, who made five birdies and four bogeys. “I wasn’t in the fairway as much, so it was a grind. The pins were a little tougher today.” Three players share fifth place: Garrett Glanton from Richardson, Brandon Smith from Frisco and Rob Couture from Dallas are at 4-under 138. A total of 13 players are within five shots of Lozano, including Fort Worth’s Will Osborne, who won the year’s first major at the Texas Four-Ball Championship with two-time Texas Player of the Year Josh Irving. Osborne is tied for 12th place at 2-under 140. Brad Gibson from Plano turned in the best round of the day, a spectacular 6-under 65 shot under the morning’s cloud cover. The seven-birdie effort was 10 shots better than his first round score. He vaulted up 53 spots on the leaderboard into a tie for 12th place. “Yesterday I just didn’t feel comfortable over the ball,” said Gibson, a 35-year-old who works for a commercial real estate company in Frisco. “I lost my legs on the back nine and didn’t finish very well. I got some rest and fluids last night and felt better today.” The recuperation worked. Even though he missed each of the first three fairways and greens to start his second round, he saved par every time. Then something clicked for him. “I found something on the fourth hole,” said Gibson, who graduated from North Texas in 2004, turned professional briefly and regained his amateur status in 2009. “I hit it left on the par-5 and thought it was out of bounds. I hit a provisional and I just killed it. I got up there and swung hard. That’s the attitude I took the rest of the round, just to be aggressive.” That mindset led to birdies on Nos. 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9. Gibson played the back nine in 1-under to climb into contention. The 108th playing of the Texas Amateur marks the third time the state’s most prestigious championship has made its way to venerable Lakewood. Past champions Chip Carter (2000) and Ray Kenny (1942) each triumphed at the 105-year-old, Tom Bendelow-designed gem and played their way onto the H.L. Edwards Memorial Trophy. The remaining two rounds this weekend will determine whose name will be engraved next into the distinguished hardware. That honor will go to one of the 59 players who survived Friday’s 36-hole cut at 6-over 148 or better.

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