VERO BEACH, Fla. – Day two of the 107th Amateur Championship brought blue skies and sweltering heat at both sites. The tournament has been cut to 70 and ties going into the weekend, making the field a total of 80 players.
What Happened?
On the second day the leaderboard saw a dynamic shuffle as some players surged ahead while others maintained their grip at the top. Christian Figueredo and Jason Duff share the lead at -9 through 36 holes. Duff moved up four spots on the leaderboard finishing 5-under on the day, carding six birdies and one bogey. Figueredo continued to shine on day two with a scorecard consisting of five birdies and two
bogies. He navigated the course scoring a 33 on the front nine and a steady 36 on the back, concluding his day at 3-under.
Yesterday's sole leader, Clipper Salmon, now finds himself in a three-way deadlock after a somewhat challenging round that left him one stroke above par. Joining him are Brett Schell and former champion Jason Huizinga, both sitting tied for third place. Schell staged an impressive comeback, surging 25 spots up the leaderboard, fueled by steady performances on both the front and back nine, each marked by a score of 33. On the other hand, Huizinga faced early adversity with a double bogey on his second hole and consecutive bogeys on holes seventeen and eighteen. His bogeys were complemented by four birdies, ensuring he remained firmly in contention.
Three players share the T-6 spot, two of which moved 22 spots up the leaderboard, Cooper Smith and Matthew Hewitt. Smith, a Tampa native and University of South Florida student started his day off strong with an eagle on the first hole.
What’s Next?
The field is cut to the low 70 and ties after 36 holes. The final 36 holes will be played at Quail Valley Golf Club. If necessary, there will be a hole-by-hole "sudden death" play-off for the Championship.
Notable
- Christian Figueredo and Jason Duff share the lead at -9.
- Brett Schell and Chase Haygood held the low score of the day at Quail Valley (66).
- 80 total players made the cut into the weekend.
- Bent Pine allowed 11 players to break 70 while Quail Valley allowed 14 players to break 70.
Quotable
“I pretty much played the same game, kept the ball in play, made putts, pretty much the same, just carried it over from yesterday.” – Christian Figueredo on his round today versus yesterday.
“I played solid yesterday, kind of lost a little bit on the back nine, so after the round yesterday we went and tightened it up on the range and I struck it great today.” – Cooper Smith on if he made any adjustments from yesterday.
“I took full advantage of the par 5’s. I am able to get to every par 5 with a long or mid-iron, which helps and then I also have just tried to stay patient. I won’t change a lot going into the weekend. I played well yesterday and today and just going to keep it going.” Brett Schell on playing Quail Valley
“I love both courses. I am just going to keep doing what I have been doing and playing really solid golf and not get too ahead of myself. Quail Valley is playing really firm and I am not the longest player in the field so I try to use the firmness to my advantage.” Co-leader Jason Duff
