Chun An Yu (Arizona State Athletics photo)
By Rick Woelfel
Chun An Yu appears to be in control of the 61st Porter Cup. The Arizona State senior holds a four-shot lead through 54 holes. Battling a talented field of contenders while also waiting out a lengthy weather delay, the Tempe, Ariz., resident shot a 5-under 65 on Friday to complete three trips around Niagara Falls Country Club in 12-under 198.
Aidan Didone of Malvern East, Victoria, Australia, has the best shot at overtaking Yu during Saturday’s finale. He carded a 65 of his own on Friday and stands alone in second place at 9-under 201. Tyler Strafaci of Davie, Fla., is at 8-under 202 after a 66 while Reid Davenport of Austin, Texas, who started the day tied for the lead with Yu finished with a 1-over 71 and sits in fourth place at 203.
Davis Lamb of Potomac, Md., is at 204 after a 68. He is followed by James Piot of Canton, Mich., and John Pak of Scotch Plains, N.J., who are both at 205 after rounds of 68 and 69, respectively.
Jimmy Hervol of Hopkinton, Minn., who started the day two shots off the lead, slipped to a 74 and is tied for 12th place at 2-under 208.
Chun has been playing well all year; he was, a first-team All American this past season at Arizona State and placed third at the NCAA Championships before earning medalist honors at his U.S. Open sectional.
He started his day on Friday with birdies on two of his first three holes, the first and the third while Davenport bogeyed the first but then rebounded with birdies at the fifth and sixth. The Vanderbilt sophomore was one shot off the pace when the final group reached the green at the par-3 seventh.
At that point, play was halted because of lightning in the area. The delay that followed lasted one hour, 52 minutes and Davenport seemed to be affected by the stoppage; he bogeyed the 10th, 13th, and 15th before closing his round with a birdie at the par-3 18th.
Yu, for his part, recorded three consecutive birdies at Nos. 10, 11, and 12 before going on to bogey the 18th.
Didone finished his opening nine in 1-under par 34 but recorded four birdies coming in, at 10, 11, 15, and 17.
Didone qualified for match play at the Australian Amateur earlier this year and also placed second at the Riversdale Classic, the second oldest 72-hole medal-play event in his homeland.
Yu, Didone, and Strafaci will comprise the final group on Saturday. They are scheduled to tee off at 12:10 local time.
Yu, Didone, Strafaci, Lamb, and Pak have each recorded three rounds in the 60s.
ABOUT THE
Porter Cup
One of the premier amateur events in the
nation, this 72-hole stroke play invitational has
lots of extra activities that give this event a special
flavor. The winning player receives a green blazer, as
well as an invitation to the Master of the Amateurs
tournament in Melbourne, Australia. Pre-tournament
qualifying is a few weeks prior to the
event and approximately five spots are available.
Starting in 2023, the men's and women's
Porter Cup championships are run concurrently with
54 players in each field and alternating
tee times. It's been exciting seeing the top players in each division in final pairings on the par-3 18th hole at Niagara Falls CC, with large galleries always appreciative of the rising talent.
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