Jackson Spires moves to top of Eastern Amateur leaderboard
Jackson Spires
(East Carolina Athletics Photo)
PORTSMOUTH, VA (July 9, 2016) -- Jackson Spires sits atop a tight leaderboard with 18-holes left to play at the Eastern Amateur. Spires is 10-under and leading Joey Lane, 9-under, by one shot at Elizabeth Manor Golf & Country Club.
Spires, a senior at East Carolina, has rounds of 67-66-67 so far this week as he looks to become the second ECU Pirate to win a Major of Amateur Golf event in as many weeks. Tim Conover won the North & South Amateur last weekend.
In the third round Spires bogeyed the second hole before kicking things into gear with birdies on the 5th, 10th, 11th and 12th holes to reach 10-under. Following a bogey on the 13th, Spires birdied the final hole to get back to 10-under.
Last week's Virginia Amateur winner and Virginia Tech golfer Joey Lane moved into second place alone with an 18th hole eagle. Lane, now 4-under on the 18th hole for the week, had been scuffling with bogeys on 14 and 17 before picking up the eagle.
Throughout the first 13-holes Lane rolled in four birdies and two bogeys.
Peter Knade, Hayden Buckley (Missouri), 36-hole leader Jeg Coughlin and Australian James Grierson are all tied for third at 7-over and three behind.
Four players are also tied for seventh just one shot further back at 6-under. The group includes defending champion James Clark (Georgia Tech).
ABOUT THE
Eastern Amateur
The Eastern Amateur is a 72 hole stroke play
event that perennially attracts a top-drawer field.
The tournament has been
played -- with the exception of 1977 and 1999 -- at
Elizabeth Manor Golf and Country Club. Elizabeth
Manor is a par 70 Dick Wilson design in Portsmouth,
Virginia.
The impressive list of winners includes U.S. Open
winners Curtis Strange, Ben Crenshaw, Andy Bean,
Hubert Green, Jim Furyk and Steve Jones. Other
notables who have played in the Eastern Amateur
are Lanny Wadkins, Arron Oberholser, Steve Marino,
Scott Hoch, Clarence Rose, Gary Koch, Bob Tway,
John Rollins, Fred Funk, Carl Petterson, Chip Beck,
Jim Simons, Ben Crenshaw, Steve Melnyk, Andy
Bean and Steve Liebler. Liebler won the who the
Eastern in three different decades and is the only
golfer to have ever qualified for the USGA Junior,
USGA Amateur, USGA Open, USGA Public Links,
USGA Senior Open and USGA Senior Amateur as
well
as representing his state in the USGA Team
competition.
View Complete Tournament Information