Action heats up in The Valley: Galasso leads after Second Round of the 88th Texas Senior Amateur
Greg Galasso of Dripping Springs holds the 36-hole lead at the 88th Texas Senior Amateur after posting a steady 1-under 70 in Saturday’s second round at McAllen Country Club. Galasso sits at 3-under 139 overall, one stroke clear of the field heading into Sunday’s final round.
“The round started off beautifully,” Galasso said. “I birdied the first two holes and thought, this will be great. Then I hit it above the hole on No. 12, which is never good, so I gave one back.”
After an even-par front nine, Galasso found his rhythm on the back, stringing together seven straight pars before a birdie on No. 17 pushed him back into the lead.
“I went to the front and made a bunch of pars,” said the Dripping Springs resident. “I wasn’t hitting it very close, but I birdied my 17th hole and thought I had another on the last — it just didn’t drop.”
Looking ahead to the final round, Galasso said his focus will be on tightening up his ball-striking and maintaining consistency under pressure.
“I need to drive the ball a little better than I did today,” Galasso said. “The first day I drove it pretty well, but I’ll also need to be more consistent with my putting and iron play.”
John Derrick of Waco and Mike Lohner of Southlake are tied for second at 2-under 140. Derrick carded his second consecutive 1-under 70 in Round 2 and is chasing his second Texas Senior Amateur title after winning on his home course at Ridgewood Country Club in 2020.
Lohner, meanwhile, seeks his first Senior Amateur crown after grinding out an even-par 71 in what he described as a “battle” from start to finish.
Midland’s Trey Womack sits in fourth after a 1-over 72, bringing him to 1-under 141 for the championship. Womack, a member of Midland Country Club, will look to make a final-round charge to capture the title.
In fifth is Scott Tibbitts of The Woodlands, who stands even-par 142 after carding a 1-under 70 on Saturday.
Tied for sixth at 1-over 143 are recent West Texas Amateur Senior Division champions John Pierce of San Antonio and David Liess of Houston.
Rounding out the top 10, tied for eighth at 2-over 144, are 2024 Texas Shootout South Team Captain Andrew Hydorn of Houston, Greg Smith of Austin, and 49th Texas Four-Ball Senior Division champion Tray Tyner of Kerrville.
During Round 2 of the 88th Texas Senior Amateur, McAllen Country Club’s par-4 No. 14 proved to be the toughest test of the day, playing to a stroke average of 4.67. Only two birdies were recorded on the hole.
Players were greeted once again by cool, comfortable conditions in the morning. Temperatures began in the low 70s with little to no wind, creating a calm start for the early groups. By midday, the mercury climbed into the low 90s as the afternoon wave teed off, with only a slight breeze offering brief relief. As play wrapped up in the evening, temperatures dipped back into the mid-to-high 80s under clear South Texas skies.
At the conclusion of play, a cut was made to 65 players at 13-over.
The champion of the 88th Texas Senior Amateur presented will earn exemptions into the next five Texas Senior Amateurs, including the 89th Texas Senior Amateur presented by Republic Aviation at Braeburn Country Club, the 117th Texas Amateur presented by Hytera US at Spanish Oaks Golf Club, and the 43rd Texas Mid-Amateur presented by Hytera US at Wichita Falls Country Club.