Kyle Jones maintains three-shot Jones Cup lead

SEA ISLAND, Ga. — As conditions continued to pester the 84-player field at Ocean Forest Golf Club, Baylor University senior Kyle Jones shot one-over 73 to maintain a three-stroke advantage heading into the final round of the Jones Cup Invitational. Jones, of Snowflake, Ariz., which is roughly three hours northeast of Phoenix, carded a 68 on day one and led Austin Connelly by three and Hank Lebioda by four. Lebioda, a Florida State junior, shot 72 again on Saturday and is in solo second place, two ahead of Adrian Meronk and Matt NeSmith in third. ROUND ONE RECAP: Kyle Jones leads with opening-round 68 Connelly, a dual citizen of Canada and the United States, shot 77 in the second round and fell into a tie for ninth. Jones was one of 16 players invited to participate in a Walker Cup practice session a month ago on the Georgia Coast in St. Simons Island, and with one round to go, Jones is close to surely securing his spot. 2014 highlights for Jones included a win at the Southwestern Amateur and a round-of-16 appearance at the U.S. Amateur. The defending champion Corey Conners already has a win to his name in 2015, capturing Australia's Lake Macquarie Amateur two weeks ago. The Canada native shot 76 on Saturday after a 73 Friday and is eight shots back in a tie for 14th. Just two players broke par on Saturday, bringing the total to four for the first two rounds. Carson Jacobs of Vanderbilt followed up a 79 with a 71 while University of South Carolina freshman Keenan Huskey shot 14 shots lower on Saturday with a two-under 70. Saturday's average score of 77.1 is just a touch higher than the opening round average of 76.7. Follow AmateurGolf.com for coverage of the Jones Cup, and follow the link below for complete scores from rounds 1 and 2.