Hunter Logan (Back of the Range photo)
Hunter Logan turned the second round of the Dogwood Invitational on Thursday into a personal highlight reel.
The Mississippi State golfer blistered the par-72 course at Druid Hills Golf Club as he fired an 11-under-par 61 to bolt to the top of the leaderboard halfway through the 72-hole tournament in suburban Atlanta.
The round by Logan, who just finished his senior season with the Bulldogs, is one of the best-ever in the long history of the Dogwood. Alex Ross shot a record 57 score in the third round of the 2019 tournament when he made 13 birdies and an eagle.
Also worth noting is the 60 shot by Webb Simpson in a practice round at Druid Hills prior to the 2007 tournament.
On Thursday, Logan made 11 birdies in a bogey-free round. He carded a 29 on the front nine with seven birdies and two pars. He made four more birdies on the back nine with five pars while shooting 32 to close out his impressive day.
“I had everything going today,” he said. “I hit a lot of greens. I only missed one green, and I made a lot of putts. I struggled putting yesterday and worked on that after the round and found something that worked. I missed a lot of putts left and worked on keeping my putter face straight at impact.
“My putting was the difference today, 100 percent. I made six putts over 20 feet which is rare.”
Hunter started fast, making birdies on his first three holes with putts from 30, 30 and 4 feet. After a par at the fourth hole, he made a 20-foot putt for birdie at the fifth and then hit a wedge to 4 feet at the par-3 sixth and made birdie there, too.
Also on the front, he birdied the par-3 eighth hole which played 230 yards into the wind after he hit a 4-iron to 4 feet and he made birdie from 30 feet on the par-5 ninth.
On the back, he made his first birdie with a 60-foot putt at 13, then made birdies from 30 and 20 feet on the next two holes. He closed out his spectacular day with an up-and-down from a greenside bunker for birdie on the par-5 18th.
The 61 was his lowest-ever score in competition. His previous best was a 63 in a U.S. Amateur qualifier. Earlier this year, he shot a 65 which is his low score at Mississippi State when he finished as the runner-up at the Schenkel Invitational.
Logan will take a three-shot lead into Friday’s third round over two golfers. Those are Furman golfer Sam Lape and Georgia Southern player Parker Claxton who are tied for second at 11-under. Claxton followed up his opening-round 68 with a 65 on Thursday while Lape shot 64 in the second round after opening with a 69 on Wednesday.
First-round co-leader Buck Brumlow is also still very much in the hunt for the championship. He came back with a 68 on Thursday after grabbing a share of the first-round lead with a 66 on Wednesday. The University of Georgia golfer is tied for fourth with teammate Maxwell Ford who is also 10-under through the first two rounds.
“I played well again today and had the putter rolling well again,” Brumlow said. “I was a little bummed about being 2-over on the last three holes today, but I’ll use that as motivation tomorrow.”
Brumlow was impressed by Logan’s score when he saw the 61 on the leaderboard by his SEC counterpart.
“The wind made it difficult today. It was one of the most swirly winds I’ve ever played in,” he noted. “I can see a number like that out there, but you have to play some really good golf. Logan played an impressive round.”
Fellow first-round co-leader Alex Goff who plays at Kentucky is one of three players at 8-under. Goff shot 70 on Thursday after shooting 66 the first day.
Three players are tied for ninth at 7-under at the halfway point. One of those is Georgia Southern standout Ben Carr, last year’s U.S. Amateur runner-up. Carr posted a 65 on Thursday after shooting even-par 72 in the first round.
Last year’s champion Carson Bacha is tied for 20th at 4-under.
A total of 103 players started on Wednesday and 58 were under par after the opening 18 holes. Following the second round, that number was down to 48, but 61 players are still even par or better after 36 holes.
A NEW PARTNERSHIP
In addition to competing for the coveted trophy and world rankings points this week Dogwood Invitational players have something else on the line. In March, the tournament announced a partnership with the PGA Tour Australasia.
The 2023 Dogwood Invitational Champion will receive 2 PGA Tour of Australia Invites, complimentary airfare for two (2) and a stipend to compete in Australia. Additionally, the leading five (5) players up to the 10th position of the 2023 Dogwood Invitational will be exempt through to the 2024 PGA Tour Australia Q School Final Stage.
ABOUT THE Dogwood Invitational
Tournament week is June 6-11 at Druid Hills
Golf
Club
in
Atlanta, Georgia. The entry fee includes
breakfast
and lunch
tournament days as
well
as special events.
The history of this prestigious event extends
back to
1941, when legendary amateur Tommy Barnes
captured his first of five Dogwood titles.
Evolving
with
the times, the modern Dogwood has produced
fine
champions like Webb Simpson (’07), Brian
Harman
(’09), Dawson Armstrong (’15), and in 2019
Brandon
Mancheno. This
evolution can
be
seen also in our course renovations and set-up,
our
relaxed tournament atmosphere, and our spirit
of
social
responsibility.
Players are required to walk during tournament
play
and may carry their golf bag themselves (push
carts are
allowed) or take a caddie. Caddies may be
requested
in advance during registration, or players may
select
one on their own.
Player housing is provided on an as available
basis to
players only, caddies and traveling
companions are not
provided housing.
View Complete Tournament Information