Stadion Classic Second round Highlights
Second day at the difficult University of Georgia Golf Club course turned out to be even worse as swirling winds battered the course all day long causing many of the tee shots wayward and unpredictable.
Former US Amateur Champion Bubba Dickerson maintained his first round lead and extended it in the second round with an even-Par, 71. Dickerson kept fighting the high winds and kept switching clubs in order to read the wind directions all day. He was only
able to hit ten greens in regulation.
Joel Edwards and Matt Hendrix are contending for the second spot, one shot behind the leader. No less than seven players are tied for the fourth place including Patrick Sheehan, Troy Kelly, Rich Barcelo, Miguel Carballo, Luke Hickmott, Marco Dawson and Russell
Henley, two shots behind the leader.
49-years-old Edwards, who has appeared in around 400 PGA Tour events, is also eager to stage a win before heading into the Champions Tour. Edwards will turn 50 in November and has been playing on the tour on a part-time status. His soaring back and elbow
caused him to take a back seat for the last five years.
The halfway cut was moved from 60 to two-over because of two amateur players who were at 61. The extended cut proved to be a new life breather for at least 15 professional players who otherwise would have been sent packing.
Aussie Mathew Giles recorded his first Hole-in-One when he covered all 186 yards for the 13th. Giles finished his round tied for 25th with his four-under, 67.
"To be honest, I didn't really hit a great shot. I was aiming 20 feet left of the pin because it's a difficult hole and a difficult pin. I hit it a little thin and blocked it out to the right. It just cleared the bunker and rolled down and looked good the
whole way. I saw it go in. I wasn't going to miss it. It was awesome," said Giles after the day's play.
Another four players withdrew from the tournament in the second round, accounting for different reasons. Erik Compton, former Georgia Bulldog withdrew without citing a specific reason. Jason Enloe withdrew due to his aggravated neck problem while Georgia
Tech’s Nicholas Thompson withdrew because of his ankle injury.
Also among the second round qualifiers was Woody Austin, who is making his appearance on the Nationwide Tour after a break of 12 years. Austin participated at Nationwide in 1999 at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open. He missed the cut at last month’s Zurich Classic
but has made it into the last two rounds here at Stadion Classic. Austin made 484 appearances on the Tour, winning three times and finishing in top 25 for 112 times.
Four eagles and an ace were recorded for the second round’s proceedings on Friday with an scoring average of 71.705.
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