BATON ROUGE, LA (June 9, 2017) - It was another perfect day for golf at
The Country Club of Louisiana in Baton Rouge. Scoring conditions were ideal, and the golf course was in wonderful shape for the top Amateur golfers in the state. A pair of LSU golf commits, Jacob Bergeron of Slidell and Trey Winstead of Baton Rouge both carded the low round of the day, a three-under par 68 to vault themselves into a tie for the lead with
Derek Busby of Ruston and Blake Traweek of Monroe at three-under par 139. Busby (69/70) and Traweek (70/69) are the only competitors in the field to have posted consecutive rounds under par.
Nicholas Arcement of Thibodaux fired a two-under par 69 and is currently in fifth place at 141. 36 holes remain to be played, and with nine players within ten shots of the leaders, Saturday’s third round will certainly be an exciting “Moving Day.”
Other under par scores on Friday were shot by: 2016 LGA Amateur Champion James Anstiss of Hammond (70/145), CCLA Member Chris Salter of Baton Rouge (70/146), Sutton Farmer of Sulphur (70/147).
After 2nd round play, the cut was made to the low 60 scorers and ties. The cut was 12-over par (156) and 61 players made it. The uphill par 4 16th hole (469 yards) continues to be the hardest hole of the tournament playing with a scoring average of 4.86.
Temperatures rose to the mid-80s on Friday, with a slight breeze blowing throughout the day. The golf course dried out substantially over the last 48 hours, and it was a treat for competitors to play on Friday. CCLA Superintendent Ed Pippin and his crew have gone above and beyond the call, working tirelessly over the last week to get the golf course in Championship condition after it absorbed almost a foot of rain in the 10 days prior to the State Amateur. They stayed at the course working until nine o’clock Thursday night, and it was phenomenal on Friday. The fairways were well manicured, and the greens were incredibly smooth, rolling at an 11 on the stimpmeter. The Jack Nicklaus designed track drew rave reviews from LGA Amateur competitors. The CCLA course played to a par 71 at approximately 6,800 yards on Friday.
CCLA is hosting the LGA Amateur Championship for the third time in its history (also in 2006 and 1999). It was recently ranked as the #1 course in Louisiana by Golf Digest.
Third Round play will begin at 7:30 AM off the first tee, with the leaders going off last at 10:39 AM.
First Round Recap
Blake Caldwell of Ponchatoula fired a blistering five-under par 66 on Thursday at The Country Club of Louisiana in Baton Rouge, and he leads the 98th LGA Amateur Championship by three shots over Derek Busby of Ruston (69). The only other players to finish under par were Blake Traweek of Monroe and T.C. Ford of Mandeville who both shot a one-under par 70. Caldwell, a rising Senior at LSU, has been in contention several times before in the State Amateur. He finished Runner-Up in 2015 and 6th in 2016. 54 holes stand between him and the title, and his competitive experience will serve him well over the next three rounds.
Caldwell started the day at 12:54 PM on hole #10. He quickly got under par with a birdie and then made five consecutive pars. He made his second birdie at the par 4 16th hole and then back-to-back pars to make the turn at two-under par 33. Caldwell started his back nine like he did the front and carded a birdie 3 at the par 4 1st. He made a par on the 2nd hole and then made back-to-back birdies. After three consecutive pars, Caldwell made his only mistake of the day with a bogey at the par 4 8th hole; however, he did not let that deter him, and he bounced back and finished his round with a birdie at the par 4 9th hole. Caldwell’s 66 was especially impressive in soggy conditions on a course with thick rough.
There were two shots of the day on Thursday:
1. Phoenix Ramsey aced the par 3 17th hole from 158 yards with a 7 iron.
2. Marcus Bougard of Jennings holed out for eagle with a lob wedge from 98 yards at the par 4 8th hole.
3. Blake Watts of Baton Rouge holed out for eagle at the par 4 18th hole.
The CCLA course played to a par 71 at approximately 6,800 yards on Thursday. The challenging layout and course set-up provided a stern but fair test. The golf course has taken on a tremendous amount of rain in recent days, but Superintendent Ed Pippin and his crew have worked tirelessly all week to get in ready and in Championship condition. With a promising forecast in store for the next few days, the golf course will be immaculate and competitors are in for a treat. CCLA is hosting the LGA Amateur Championship for the third time in its history (also in 2006 and 1999). It was recently ranked as the #1 course in Louisiana by Golf Digest.
View results for Louisiana Amateur
ABOUT THE Louisiana Amateur
The Louisiana Golf Association Amateur
Championship
is the most prestigious of the organization's
championships, having been conducted every year
since 1920. Entries are open to any Louisiana
resident
(as of at least 90 days) who is an amateur golfer
holding membership in a LGA member club in good
standing. 72 hole stroke play championship.
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