PEBBLE BEACH – After the morning wave of the second round the early 36-hole clubhouse lead belongs to Alex Franklin of San Rafael. Franklin fired a three-under-par 69 in the first group out Tuesday morning to complement his opening round of 71 nicely, for a 140, four-under-par total. The 21-year-old has been pleased with his game thus far and credits his exceptional scores to staying out of trouble.
“I never really put myself in a bad position today,” he said. “I just kept the ball in play, put the ball on the green and had a lot of two-putt pars. Really, I just didn’t have too many stressful pars.”
Starting out with seven straight pars, Franklin finally saw a change on his scorecard with a birdie on No. 8 and a bogey on No. 9 for an even-par 36. Then on the back nine, the San Rafael resident opened with birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 and finished with a birdie on the 18th for a bogey-free 33.
With match play beginning tomorrow and a top-seed in store, the incoming junior at Oregon State doesn’t look to change his game plan too much and mainly hopes to continue to hit the ball well.
“If I play the way in match play I’ve been playing the last few days, it’s going to be pretty good because I’ve been hitting a lot of greens and fairways,” he said.
Only one other player from the morning wave finished 36 holes with an under-par score as Jeff Murphy of Pleasant Hill posted a 143, one-under-par with rounds of 72 and 71.
Seven under-par scores are currently out on the course in the afternoon wave, including first round leader Cody Blick (five-under) and his nearest competitor Jonathan De Los Reyes (four-under).
N. Calif. Match Play: Alex Franklin medals
Franklin fired a three-under-par 69 in the first group out Tuesday morning to complement his opening round of 71