STATESBORO, Ga. – Bill Leonard of Kennesaw is the leader after two rounds of the 25th Georgia Senior Championship at Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro. Leonard’s 1-under-par 143 (74-69) is the only score under par through the first 36 holes. Leonard’s second round included four birdies on holes three, five, eight and 14, and a bogey on 13. At last year’s event at Achasta Golf Club in Dahlonega, Leonard finished tied for ninth.
One stroke behind Leonard is a group of three players at even-par 144. Bob Kulp of Savannah (76-68), Matt O’Brien of Decatur (73-71) and Jimmy Jackson of Macon (70-74) look to put pressure on Leonard in tomorrow’s final round. O’Brien and Jackson, along with Jackson Moore of Marietta, were the leaders after round one. Moore sits seven strokes back of the round-two leader at 6-over-par 150.
Larry Clark of Kingston is 1-over-par 145 in solo-fifth after recording a 74 in round one and 71 in round two. With a win this week, Clark would become the sixth player to win the Georgia Senior Championship multiple times in its 25-year history, after winning his first title in 2006. The other past champion in the 36-hole top-10 is Richard Van Leuvan of Atlanta (3-over-par 147; T8), who won the event in 2000. Should Van Leuvan win tomorrow, he too would collect his second title.
Defending champion Spencer Sappington of Milton improved upon his first-round 82, shooting a 74 on Thursday, and is tied for 63rd place at 156.
Through two days of the Georgia Senior Championship, a hole-in-one has been recorded each day by two different players. On Wednesday during the opening round at Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro, Joe Brogdon of Macon used a 7-wood from 174 yards out on 15. Sixteen years ago at this course Brogdon participated in the 1995 Georgia Four-Ball Tournament, which is the last GSGA event held at Forest Heights. He is the only player in this week’s field to have played in a GSGA event on this week’s track. Not to be outdone, Bill Evans of Columbus recorded an ace of his own on 13 with a 5-iron from 184 yards out during today’s second round.
After Thursday’s round, the field was cut to the low 70 and ties, with the cutline falling at 13-over-par 157 and 70 players advancing to the final round. Forest Heights Country Club is playing to 6,553 yards.
ABOUT THE
Georgia Senior
Entries: Open to male amateur golfers age
55 or
older as of the first day of the
tournament.
Field: 144 players with the lowest USGA
Handicap
indexes
Format: 54 holes of stroke play; field cut
to the
low 70 and ties after 36 holes
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