Andrew Hennings is part halfway lead
(British Columbia Golf Photo)
QUALICUM BEACH, British Columbia (July 14, 2016) --
In a field full of young guns, 'old timer' Andrew
Hennings, all 33 years of him, is tied for the lead with
15-year-old Nolan Thoroughgood of Victoria and 20-
year-old Zach Anderson of Nanaimo in the 2016 BC
Amateur at Pheasant Glen after the second round.
Hennings fired a 2-under par round of 70 to sit at
5-under along with the two youngsters going into round
3 on Thursday morning.
Of the 156 players who teed it up in the 114th
playing of the B.C. Amateur, 124 are 24 years old or
younger. And 43 of those are 18 and younger. The
leaderboard through two rounds is a reflection of that
youth. Two of the three co-leaders are 15 and 20. There
is a liberal sprinkling of other teens and early 20-
somethings fairly high up on the leaderboard.
The exception is 'old-timer' Andrew Hennings. He's
33, which would qualify him as a spring chicken by
Qualicum Beach standards. But in this field, he's one of
the old guys.
Hennings is a Burnaby resident who a few years
ago played collegiately for Simon Fraser University and
now works on the grounds crew at Fraserview Golf
Course in Vancouver. He shot a tidy two-under par 70
to move to five-under through two rounds. That left him
tied for the lead with 15-year-old Nolan Thoroughgood
of Victoria and 20-year-old Zach Anderson of Nanaimo.
Hennings, who plays regularly on the Vancouver
Golf Tour, acknowledged he did not expect to be
sleeping on the lead at the midway point. "I was
thinking a couple of 77s would be my speed," he said
with a wry smile after his round.
Hennings hadn't exactly torn up the B.C. Mid-
Amateur Championship in early June at Nanaimo Golf
Club. "I shot 79-79-86, so the guys at Fraserview gave
me grief after that one," he said. "I don't know. As long
as I am able to find my tee shot I feel I can compete."
The weather was much better at Pheasant Glen on
Wednesday, but the scores were higher. Players faced a
tough set-up and 13-time winner Doug Roxburgh was
among the casualties. Roxburgh, playing in his 50th
straight B.C. Amateur, shot a five-over 77 Wednesday
to finish at seven-over par. That was one stroke shy of
the cut.
"My putting kind of let me down on the front nine,"
Roxburgh said. "I was five-over and then even on the
back. I didn't make anything. No birdies, five bogeys, so
that's the way it goes."
It was just the third missed cut in 50 tries for the
64-year-old Roxburgh, but his second straight. He also
missed the cut last year by one shot at Fairview
Mountain in Oliver. He would not guarantee that he will
be back again next year to try again.
"I wanted to make the cut and play all four
rounds," Roxburgh said. "That was my goal. I didn't
make it. I'm not going to say I will try again next year.
We'll assess things closer to the entry deadline (next
year)."
After 40 players broke par in Tuesday's first round,
many of the tees were moved back and some of the
pins were tucked. As a result, only 10 players broke par
Wednesday and the day's best score was a three-under
69 posted by Marine Drive's Jacob Vanderpas. The 21-
year-old is in a four-way tie for fourth place at three-
under par.
Roy Kang of North Vancouver and Kelowna's
William Deck, who shared the lead after shooting six-
under 66s on Tuesday, both struggled in the second
round. Kang shot a 76 Wednesday, while Deck fired a
77. Jake DuVall, a 22-year-old from Victoria, 17-year-
old Samuel Su of Surrey and veteran Greg Koster of
Courtenay are also tied for fourth at three-under par.
Hennings, who is camping with his girlfriend/caddy
while in Qualicum, doesn't know what to expect from
himself the final two rounds. He spent considerable time
practising his short game after his round. "I have never
been in this position before," he said.
"My total here of 139 is my best two-round total. I
will probably be nervous. I was nervous today. You see
a lot of trouble out there. There is trouble on both sides
of every hole. I just want to keep playing golf, enjoy the
process and hit it hard. I know I can't be too cocky on
this golf course. One errant drive and you are re-
loading."
ABOUT THE
British Columbia Amateur
72 hole stroke play championship with a cut
after
36 holes. No gender or age restriction. Players must
qualify through their zone, be previously exempt or
play in the Supplemental Qualifier.
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