From 59 watch to Southern Am lead, Cover steals the show

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (July 19, 2018) – It’s not often there’s a 59 watch in an amateur golf event, but on Thursday, Patrick Cover put Southern Amateur followers on alert.

Starting on No. 10 at the Club at Olde Stone, Cover quickly began making birdies – six, to be exact. He threw in an eagle at the par-4 14th and made the turn at 8-under 28.

The only blemish on Cover’s card came on No. 3 – a bogey. He added two more birdies and still managed a 9-under 63 to dive to 12 under for the event. Thursday’s round gave him a three-shot cushion on Taylor Bibbs and Luke Long, in second.

Cover recently capped four years on the North Carolina-Wilmington roster. Already this summer, he won the North Carolina Open – a field that was predominantly professional. After that victory, Cover said he hoped it would help him get ready for a career as a professional.

🚨Hot round alert 🚨
Check out @patrick_cover72’s start in Rd 2 of Southern Am. Opens w/ 28 on @OldeStoneBG’s back 9 pic.twitter.com/bZiURTOjXA

— AmateurGolf.com (@amateurgolfcom) July 19, 2018

Behind Cover, Bibbs had a second-round 66 that put him at 10 under. Bibbs, the 2017 San Diego City Amateur champion, birdied three of his final five holes. Long, of Fayetteville, Ark., went bogey free in his 4-under 68 on Thursday.

Ten of the top 12 players on the leaderboard posted a round in the 60s on Thursday at Olde Stone. The golf course played nearly a full shot easier from Wednesday to Thursday.

With two rounds left, proven players lurk within striking distance. Eric Ansett, who already this summer has top-20 finishes at the Dogwood Invitational, the Sunnehanna Amateur and the Sahalee Players Championship, had a second-round 67 to take a share of fifth. John Augenstein, last week’s Players Amateur champion, had 66. He is part of a six-man tie for seventh that also includes Benjamin Shipp, Kristoffer Reitan, Wilson Furr, Malcolm Mitchell and Austin Squires.