Champ, a senior at Texas A&M from Sacramento, California won the Trans-Mississippi Championship last week at Prairie Dunes Golf Club. Today he fired five birdies and an eagle on the par 5 6th hole in round to offset his two bogeys, giving him a three shot lead going to the final two days.
David Micheluzzi eagled the par 5 18th hole to jump into second place with a second round 66—137 total. He is tied with University of Texas golfer Douglas Ghim who posted 67-137.
New Zealand’s Denzel Ieremia, a member of the Iowa State golf team (the first round leader after an opening 66) shot 72 and is at four-under-par 138, tied for third with Hawaii’s John Oda. The UNLV golfer shot a 71.
Champ, who was one of two amateurs to make the cut at the US Open this summer, said his Open performance at Erin Hills in June inspired him at the 2015 Open site this week.
“That practice round [with Rory McIlroy at Erin Hills] showed me what I’m capable of,” he said. “Players like me, we’ve looked up to them for years. To see how they hit the ball and how they go about things, I guess it proves that players of my caliber – and the players here at this event – we can hit those shots.”