Jones, Jackson share Cotton States lead at 5 under

MONROE, La. (July 25, 2018) – Grayson Jones went 2 under in his final four holes on Wednesday to find his way to the top of the W.E. Cole Cotton States Invitational. Jones, of Tulsa, Okla., shares the top spot with Isaiah Jackson of Golden, Miss. Both players posted 5-under 67. Jones nearly went bogey-free in the opening round at Bayou DeSiard Country Club. His only one came at No. 12. Jones, who plays for Oral Roberts, has impressive golf genes. His father Geoff Jones was a professional golfer and so was his grandfather Tommy Aycock. Jones hopes to follow in those footsteps. Jackson had a similar round that included just one bogey. After spending the past two years at Meridian Community College, Jackson will continue his college golf career this season at Memphis. He is coming off a T-36 at last week’s Southern Amateur. A shot behind Jones and Jackson, Paul Gonzalez is coming off a top-5 finish at the West Texas Amateur final. Gonzalez had the lead entering the final round of that event, but lost ground on the final day. Gonzalez’s 4-under 68 at Bayou DeSiard, however was unexciting in the way golfers hope for: he had all pars on the front, and mixed in four birdies on the back. Chad Sewell of Conroe, Texas, Charlie Miller of Jackson, Miss., Keegan McLachlan of Pretorio, South Africa, and Kyle Michel of Australia are tied for fourth after rounds of 3-under 69. McLachlan particularly has had a notable year. He tied for first at the Kwazulu Natal Stroke Play and tied for second at the Boland Amateur Open.