AG Two Man Links at Arcadia Bluffs: Clark and Tyler Hurst win at 12-under

Clark and Tyler Hurst took the gross father and son title at the AmateurGolf.com Two Man Links at Arcadia Bluffs after firing their third-straight round in the 60s. The younger Hurst shot under par on his own ball again, starting strong with a 34 on the front nine. Bob and Arron Smith took second. Steve and Trevor Cook won the Father and Son Net title ahead of Greg and Zach Gildner with a card playoff settling the score. Cousins Chris and Nicholas Whitehead won the Open gross title, while Ken Aschom and Jason Perry of Florida won the Open Net trophy. All three days were wonderful, but today took the prize for perfect links golf weather. As for the resort -- which most of us were experiencing for the first time -- we have added it to our Two Man Links destination list with the hope of returning in 2024 or 2025 (or both). Stay tuned! ROUND 2 SUMMARY With one round to play, the team of Clark and Tyler Hurst from California has jumped out to a 6-shot lead. They are a formidable one-two punch. Yesterday at Arcadia Bluffs, the elder Hurst (Clark) was able to cover his birdie machine son Tyler whenever he needed a slight pick-up, resulting in a four-stroke improvement of Tyler's 72, as the team posted 4-under 68 gross at Arcadia Bluffs. Today at the South Course no such help was needed, as Tyler posted a 5-under 67 on his own ball. It's hard to improve on seven birdies. The Hursts are trailed by the team of Bob and Aaron Smith from Iowa, who stand at 3-under. Jeffrey and Josh Overton are leading at 8-under in the Net Division, with a packed leaderboard behind them. Tomorrow's final round will head back to the Bluffs Course, hard against the shores of Lake Michigan. It's a stunner. ROUND ONE RECAP AmateurGolf.com has been visiting Bandon Dunes in Oregon for the last 20-plus years for our original Two Man Links and Father & Son Championship. We added Sand Valley in Wisconsin several years ago to rave reviews. And if that wasn't enough, last year we started the tradition of visiting the spectacular Cabot Links Resort on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island. These fantastic venues can be hard to reach, but once players arrive, they experience golfing nirvana. This week on the shores of Lake Michigan, "Two Man Links IV" is being contested at Arcadia Bluffs' two courses, and we've got another stunner on our hands. Clark Hurst and his son Tyler made the trip from California (Clark, the dad, from Bakersfield - Tyler from Carlsbad in the San Diego area) and ham-and-egged their way to a 4-under 68 to lead both the overall and father & son gross divisions. But it's early. The Hursts are trailed by Jeff Overton, who is playing with three of his sons comprising three different teams. All three were pleased with the way Jeff played. The solid 5-handicapper worked magic with his putter on the smooth but undulating greens, making four birdies and a bunch of solid pars on his way to a 74. With his son-in-law Aaron Ochs, he's tied for second gross at 2-under 70 alongside the always solid team of Bob and Aaron Smith from Iowa. The Smiths have brought home AmateurGolf.com hardware on several occasions and are always tough on the gross side. On the net side of the tournament, Overton and all three of his teams are holding the 1-2-3 positions. Jeff and Aaron's team fired 8-under 64 net. Three teams that don't belong to the Overton family are giving chase, including the "somewhat local" team of Greg and Zach Gildner. Because anytime we can fit "Cheboygan, MI" into our coverage, we have to make it happen. Tomorrow's second round is played at the South Course, which doesn't have the stunning lake views but makes up for it by being one of the most authentic homages to the kind of golf course designed by C.B. Macdonald at places like Chicago Golf Club. Square greens, wraparound bunkers, and shot values will have us feeling like we dropped back into the early 1900's. It's that good. For the final round, we return to the Bluffs Course, where we can enjoy lunch and awards in the stately clubhouse and lodge overlooking the 18th green.