WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS — Mother Nature and the Old White TPC joined forces to dish out one heck of a case of the Mondays.
Indeed, the second round of the 102nd West Virginia Amateur wasn’t about how low you could go, but about how high you could keep from going as swirling winds and rock-hard greens baffled most of the 119-man field throughout the day Monday at The Greenbrier resort.
In the end, rounds of 2-over-par 72 for defending champion Alex Easthom and 1-over 71 for Chris Williams were enough for the two to enter Tuesday’s third round as co-leaders and the only two players in the field under par at minus-1 halfway through the four-day event.
Hurricane’s Philip Reale is one shot back in third at even par after a 1-over 71, and Bridgeport’s Hutson Chandler and Hurricane’s Jonathan Clark share fourth place at 1 over for the tournament.
Not a single player shot under par on Monday, and only Princeton’s Jeff McGraw and Morgantown’s Ryan Mason mustered even-par 70s. For everyone else, it was an all-day battle for survival.
“The wind swirled and I think we’re used to seeing a little bit of rain,” Williams said. “That’s the firmest I’ve ever seen the greens, so if you weren’t in the fairway, a lot of the pins were tucked — you had no chance.”
“It was firm, and that plays tough,” Easthom concurred. “Even if you had a full wedge you were still having to hit a one-hopper and play a little roll; you weren’t going to get anything to spin backwards, and that makes it kind of tough. You’re not used to that.”
Easthom entered the day at 3 under and in a three-way tie with Chandler and Beckley’s Isaiah Zaccheo, who toughed out a 5-over 75 and is in a three-way tie for sixth place with Charleston’s Joseph Kalaskey and Milton’s Noah Mullens. Chandler, Easthom and Williams, who entered the day at minus-2 and just one shot back, were part of an afternoon wave that may have had it even rougher as the sun and gusting winds continued to dry things out.
As most of the players atop the leaderboard entering the day were just getting started, Reale and Clark were polishing off solid if not spectacular rounds, and each had a sense that solid may be good enough.
“I did enough to keep myself in it,” Reale said at the conclusion of his round. “I looked at the morning wave and nobody was really under par for the round. If this wind picks up this afternoon and people play it like it’s been playing, I might be right there.”
“You don’t know which way the wind is going,” Clark said. “It’s tough. It’s not easy.”
Unlike Sunday’s round on the Meadows Course, where the last four holes were clearly the toughest part of the day, the Old White TPC proved to be tough about everywhere.
For some, the troubles came early. Chandler bogeyed Nos. 1 and 2 to immediately fall out of the lead. Williams, meanwhile, birdied No. 1 before running into back-to-back bogeys at No. 4 and No. 5. For Easthom, 14 pars were nice but bogeys at Nos. 4, 8 and 10 were costly against his lone birdie of the day at 16.
Perhaps no one had a wilder day than Reale, who paired bogeys at 1, 2 and 15 and a double bogey at 5 with the day’s only eagle, which came on the par-5 12th, and birdies at 3 and 17.
All players still clinging to a favorable spot on the leaderboard after Monday were appreciative of their positions, no matter how many shots may have fallen by the wayside.
“Very pleased,” Easthom said. “I kind of had to joke with myself because I asked, ‘Where’s Chris Williams at?’ Then I was like, ‘Wait, why does it matter?’ After today there’s 36 more holes. I settled down toward the end of the round.”
“It’s nice this year not having to come from 10 behind like usual,” Williams grinned. “Two more rounds, a lot of golf left, so as long as you stay in it, hit a couple of shots, come Wednesday that’s all you can hope for, really.”
Weirton’s Howie Peterson shot a 3-over 73 paired with an opening round of even-par 70 and has sole possession of ninth place at plus 3 for the tournament. Behind that, Falling Waters’ Ryan Crabtree and Bridgeport’s Woody Woodward and Marco Oliverio are tied for 10th at plus 4.
The field was cut to the top 42 players and ties (45 golfers) with the cut line falling at plus 12. Included in the list of players that will play the event’s final two rounds is Huntington’s Steve Fox, who is playing his 54th and final West Virginia Amateur. Fox carded an 8-over 78 on Monday and will enter Tuesday at plus 8 for the tournament in a tie for 21st.
