By Staff
WATCHES HIS SHOT n Mike Taylor fires a tee shot to the No. 11 green as his partner Glen Taylor looks on. Photo by Paula Merritt/The Meridian Star
By Marty Stamper/The Meridian Star
May 28, 2001
You know you're playing with the big boys when you shoot an 11-under par round at Northwood Country Club and give up two strokes.
Austin Holmes and John Thomas Williamson found themselves in that predicament Sunday as they blistered the par-71 Northwood course for a 60 during the second round of the Ed Lewis Memorial Day Tournament which was played with a best-ball format.
With Holmes and Williamson having played in the morning round, defending champions Judge Little and Scott Morgan knew what they faced when they arrived for afternoon play. Then they went out and fired an sizzling 58 that included an almost unheard of 9-under par 27 on the back nine.
Morgan and Little birdied Nos. 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, and 18 and threw in an eagle on the par-5, 471-yard No. 16 for good measure.
For two days, Little and Morgan are 19 strokes under par at 123.
The two-time defending champions weren't sure what their lowest round at Northwood in a scramble format was, but thought the 58 might be it.
Little credited the putting game to his team's success.
Despite the 11 birdie, one eagle performance, it was a pair of pairs that may have been the difference between the top two teams.
Today's final round will be played with an alternate shot format.
Holmes and Williamson had 11 birdies Sunday in shooting a 60 to run their two-day tally to 125. They had birdies on Nos. 1, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, and 18.
Four teams are tied for third place at 129. They are Alex Weddington and Johnny Dement, Chase Bryan and Doyle Bryan, Jason Anders and Dan Singley, and Andy Lucovich and Ferrell Fort.
Weddington and Dement had eight birdies Sunday as they shot a 63.
The Bryans had five birdies and a pair of eagles as they found a couple of par-5s to their liking. The two had eagles on Nos. 6 and 16.
Anders and Singley had 10 birdies during the second round as they turned in a 10-under par 61.
Lucovich and Fort had nine birdies in shooting a 62.
The shot of the day went to Derick Smith who had a hole-in-one on the par-3, 118-yard No. 17.
Of the 72 teams competing, 69 bettered their opening-day scores which came in a four-ball format.
Marty Stamper is a sports writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail him at mstamper@themeridianstar.com.