Western Amateur: Fowler in lead after 36 holes
Western Amateur photo
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (Aug. 2, 2007)-- Rickie Fowler maintained his mastery of Point O’Woods Golf & Country Club on Thursday, turning in a 2-under-par 68 after an opening round 65 to build a two-stroke lead at 7-under-par 133 through 36 holes in the 105th Western Amateur Championship.
Fowler, the 2005 Western Junior champion, is playing in his first Western Amateur but is scoring like a veteran at the nation’s second-oldest amateur golf tournament. He hit 17 greens in regulation in his second competitive round at the Point.
“I’m hitting the ball well and keeping it in play, I just didn’t make any putts,” said Fowler, who won the Sunnehanna Amateur in June and the Players Amateur in July. “I need to go out and keep hitting the ball well and give myself opportunities for birdie. If I can make a few more putts, I should be pretty good.”
Making the Sweet 16 in his first Western Amateur “would be awesome,” said Fowler, who is joining the Oklahoma State University golf squad as a freshman this fall. “There are some great players here.”
Fowler, 18, Murrieta, California, credited his caddie – former Murrieta Valley High School teammate Andrew Cortez – with assisting him in navigating the Point the past two days.
“He’s helping me. He knows my game,” said Fowler. “He caddied for me last year when I made the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur, and he wanted to come here to caddie for me.”
Fowler led a field of 58 players who made the 36-hole cut at 144 or better.
Two shots back of Fowler at 5-under-par 135 were Lucas Lee, a junior at UCLA; Jhonattan Vegas, a 2007 University of Texas graduate; and first-round co-leader Alex Prugh, a 2007 University of Washington graduate. Lee fired a 5-under-par 65 Thursday following an even par 70 on Wednesday; Vegas shot rounds of 68-67 to keep pace, while Prugh shot even par 70 Thursday after turning in a 5-under-par 65 Wednesday.
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ABOUT THE Western Amateur
Invitational event, and the most important
tournament in American amateur golf outside of the
U.S. Amateur. With a grueling schedule, it's quite
possibly the
hardest amateur tournament to win.
156 invited players come from across the
globe to play one of the toughest formats in
amateur golf. The tournament starts with 18
holes of stroke play on Tuesday and
Wednesday after which the field is cut to the
low 44 scores and ties. Thursday it's a long
day of 36 holes of stroke play to determine
the “Sweet Sixteen” who compete at Match
Play on Friday and Saturday (two matches
each day if you're going to the finals) to
decide the champion.
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