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Vecellio Takes 36-Hole Lead at FL Senior Open

May 2, 2023

What Happened

After 36 holes at Lakewood National Golf Club, Steve Vecellio sits at the top of the 46th Florida Senior Open Championship leaderboard. Vecellio posted a 4-under 68 on Tuesday to take a one-shot lead over the field at 7-under 137.

Vecellio, the Director of Instruction at Frenchman's Reserve Country Club got off to a quick start in the second round, with an eagle on the par 4 10th hole, his first of the day. He kept it rolling on his first nine, adding three birdies to make the turn at 3 under.

He continued his strong play on the back side, playing his final six holes at 2 under, finishing the day at the top of the leaderboard.

Jeff Williams fired a 5-under 67 to finish the day in a second place at 8-under 138. In strong winds, he finished the day with four birdies and an eagle to sit one shot back of Vecellio heading into the final round.

What’s Next

The final round of the Florida Senior Open Championship will begin Wednesday at 7:45 a.m., where professionals and amateurs will be competing for a $65,000 purse during the final round.

Notable

  • Guy Boros made the most of moving day, carding a 6-under 66 to move 58 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for seventh at 3-under 141.
  • Williams rolled in a 40-foot putt for birdie on the 16th hole on his way to a second-round 67.
  • Seventeen players sit within six shots the lead heading into Wednesday’s final round.
  • Only five players have posted two under-par rounds for the first 36 holes: Vecellio, Williams, Gene Walter, Mike McCoy and Daniel Stone 
  • Sixty-four players made the cut at 6-over 150, with 40 professionals and 24 amateurs making the cut.
  • McCoy sits at the top of the Amateur leaderboard at 5-under 139 in a tie for third.

Quotable

“It was blowing hard, but I made a lot of putts out there. It was hard to get the ball near the hole and the greens were getting really fast.” – Vecellio on how the course played

“I was 3 over right away to start the round. I kind of held it together and made a couple birdies. Overall, I didn’t have as good as a feel with the putter, but I was fortunate that a chip went in from the fringe on the ninth, my last hole of the day to get me back.” – Mike McCoy on his second round

“I played a lot better today than I did yesterday. I drove it pretty good and I hit my irons a lot better today.” – Guy Boros on his second-round 66 

“I was able to turn what could have been an average round into a great. It showed the patience you can play out here, there are birdies to be made on the par-5’s. You can pick your chances out there and make par when you have to.” – Jeff Williams on his strong second round 

Round 2 Results | Final Round Pairings | Hole-By-Hole Scoring