Menante extends lead at Northeast Amateur

June 23, 2022 | by Jim Young of AmateurGolf.com

Dylan Menante (Northeast Amateur photo)

Carlsbad, Calif. native opens a six-shot lead at the halfway point at the second event of the Elite Amateur Series

There's something about the Wannamoisett Country Club that suits Dylan Menante's eye.

After opening his title defense with a 7-under 62 on Wednesday, Menante followed with a second-round 64 and at 12-under 126 for the tournament, holds a six-shot lead over Kelly Chinn, who sits at 6-under after carding his consecutive round of 66.

Menante made just one birdie on his outward nine but made four birdies on his first six holes to start the back en route to a 5-under 64 on the par-69, 6,807-yard Wannamoisett layout.

“The biggest challenge today was with my irons,” said Menante. “Yesterday, I didn’t miss a shot. I was striping it. Coming into the round I was thinking I wasn’t going to have to worry about my ball striking but I struggled early. My driver was off today but when I found the fairway, I had to be aggressive. “I had no rhythm whatsoever on the front nine,” said Menante, who recently transferred from Pepperdine to the University of North Carolina. “I only hit four greens in regulation on my first nine and had to rely on my short game. I found my rhythm once I made the turn. The back nine here is much more comfortable for me because I can send a driver pretty much anywhere and still have a wedge.”

Just how dominant has Menante been on this Donald Ross classic in Rumford, R.I.?

Not only is his 12-under score a 36-hole scoring record at the Northeast Amateur, now in its 60th year, Menante hasn't made a bogey in his last 61 holes at Wannamoisett dating back to last year's third round when he won the event with a 9-under score 267. He kept his bogey-less streak intact on Thursday when he drained a 20-foot par put on the 18th to polish off a 5-under round of 64.

“We are only halfway home,” said Menante. “The 36-hole scoring record is nice but it’s not what I came here to do.”

Tennessee-bound Caleb Surrat is seven back at 5-under while Carson Lundell, who plays collegiately at BYU, hit all 18 greens in regulation in the second round en route to shooting a 4-under 65 to move into fourth place at 4-under.

NCAA champion Gordon Sargent, who opened with a 65, slipped back into a tie for fifth place following a two-over round of 71 on Thursday.

Dalton Balthaser of the Northeast Amateur contributed to this report

Results: Northeast Amateur

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Dylan Menante	Carlsbad, CA	1200	62-64-64-67=257
2	Karl Vilips	, Australia	900	71-66-66-63=266
3	Caleb Surratt	Indian Trail, NC	700	68-65-68-67=268
T4	Bryce Lewis	Hendersonville, TN	700	67-70-67-66=270
T4	Gordon Sargent	Mountain Brook, AL	700	65-71-65-69=270

View full results for Northeast Amateur

About the Northeast Amateur

Menante extends lead at Northeast Amateur

The Northeast Amateur has a historic list of winners, including Ben Crenshaw, Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Luke Donald, Scott Hoch, John Cook, Hal Sutton, and David Duval. It has been annually held at the Donald Ross-designed Wannamoisett Country...