Five Players tied for lead after Round 2 at 89th Texas Senior Amateur presented by Republic Aviation
HOUSTON – A five-way tie now sits atop the leaderboard following the second round of the 89th Texas Senior Amateur presented by Republic Aviation at BraeBurn Country Club, with Andy Hydorn, Matt Norton, John Derrick, Buzz Baker and Bob Jacobson all at even-par 144.
Matt Norton of Melissa made the biggest move of the day, climbing 23 spots on the strength of a 3-under 69, the low round of the day, to vault into a share of the lead after opening with a 75. Norton opened his round with a birdie on No. 1 and followed it with an eagle on the par-5 4th. A bogey on No. 11 was his only mistake of the day, and he closed his round with a birdie on 18 to seal the 69. Bob Jacobson of McKinney also surged up the leaderboard, jumping seven spots with a 1-under 71 to pair with his opening 73. Jacobson bogeyed the 1st before stringing together three birdies on Nos. 6, 10 and 11. A double bogey on 17 threatened to derail his round, but he answered right back with a birdie on 18 to hold onto red numbers.
Andy Hydorn of Houston and John Derrick of Waco, the 2020 Texas Senior Amateur champion, each moved up two spots after matching 1-over 73s to back up their opening-round 71s. Hydorn birdied Nos. 4, 13 and 14, but bogeys on 1, 7, 10 and 17 pushed him 1-over for the day. Derrick birdied 10 and 13, though bogeys on 5, 6 and 17 offset the gains and left him even for the round. Buzz Baker of Richmond, who shared the first-round lead, carded a 2-over 74 to remain even-par for the championship, holding his spot in the tie atop the leaderboard. Baker birdied No. 1 before a bogey on 2, then eagled the par-5 9th to turn in strong shape. A bogey on 13 and a triple-bogey on 17 on the back nine, however, pushed him to a 74.
Tied for sixth at 1-over, 145 are John Schaefer of Plano and Michael Sullivan of Spring, sitting one shot back of the five-way tie at the top. Schaefer, who arrived at BraeBurn fresh off a victory in the Senior Division of the TGA Medalist Series Tournament of Champions, backed up his opening 71 with a 74 to remain in contention. Sullivan climbed two spots on the day, posting the low round of the group at 2-under 72 to pair with his opening 73 and move into a share of sixth.
A trio sits tied for eighth at 2-over 146, just two strokes off the lead: Keith Lundquist of Liberty Hill, Sandy Pierce of Houston and Kevin Cashman of Montgomery. Lundquist and Cashman each turned in the biggest climbs of the group, both jumping 16 spots on 1-under 71s to back up matching opening rounds of 75. Pierce, a past Texas Senior Amateur champion, moved up five spots after backing up a 74 with an even-par, 72.
Four players are tied for 11th at 3-over, 147, rounding out the top of the leaderboard with three strokes separating them from the lead. Stephen Marland of Houston made the largest move of the entire second round outside the top group, climbing 22 spots on a 1-under 71 after opening with a 76. Bobby Baugh of San Antonio also moved up, adding a 73 to his opening 74 to gain two spots. Jerry Hudgins of Tyler and Chris Germann of Dripping Springs each slipped slightly on the day — Hudgins fell three spots after a 74 followed his opening 73, while Germann dropped four spots following his opening 72 with a 75.
Weather again played a role Saturday, as players faced hot and humid conditions throughout the second round. Temperatures were in the mid-80s at the start of play, climbing into the low 90s by the afternoon with a high near 95 degrees. Mostly cloudy skies persisted for much of the day as heat and humidity continued to challenge the field as the round wore on.
At the conclusion of Round 2, 60 players made the cut to move on to the final round of the 89th Texas Senior Amateur, presented by Republic Aviation.
To view results from Round 2, click here.