Matt and Will Griffin Stay Atop Father-Son Leaderboard
Briefly: Matt and Will Griffin of San Antonio followed an opening round 9-under 63 with a 4-under-par 68. The two-time Texas Father-Son champions didn’t have their best in Round 2, but a strong closing nine gives them a three-stroke advantage heading into Sunday’s final round at Omni Barton Creek Resort and Spa’s Fazio Foothills.
Leaderboard: Championship Flight
1) Griffin / Griffin San Antonio, San Antonio 63-68
2) Kelting / Kelting Amarilo, Amarillo 66-68
3) Salcedo / Salcedo The Woodlands, The Woodlands 67-69
T4) Starks / Starks Dallas, Dallas 69-68
T4) Diamond / Diamond Houston, Houston 67-70
Full Leaderboard | Round 3 Pairings
In Contention: Matt and Will Griffin started their second round on the par-4 10th with a three-shot lead. Following a bogey on the par-3 17th, the lead was down to one. The Griffin’s were just even par on the day. They made par on the par-5 18th and drove to the par-4 first hole still at 9-under for the tournament.
“I was definitely struggling on the first nine,” Will said. “He (Matt) had my back on a lot of holes but we weren’t where we wanted to be. We knew we needed to do something well on the front side because neither of us had our A-game today.”
The defending champions stayed focused and found their game. Will (son), a former standout at Texas Tech University, chipped in for birdie to get things going on the first. They followed with another birdie on the par-4 fourth to once again lead by three.
The Griffin’s carded a few pars before arriving to the par-5 eighth. Matt hit his tee shot down the right center of the fairway. He laid up to a perfect number and stuffed his pitch shot close for a tap-in birdie.
The par-3 ninth, known as Fazio Foothills signature hole, was playing 151 yards with a little helping wind on Saturday. Matt found the center of the putting surface with his tee shot and gave Will the green light.
“He (Matt) put one just right of the hole on the green, so I knew I could go right at it,” Will said. “I hit a smooth 9-iron to about six feet left of the hole.”
Will capitalized on his birdie putt to close out the round and post 13-under-par 131 as a team through 36 holes. The Griffins, who won the Texas Father-Son in 2011 and 2019, will seek their third title on Sunday.
“We have played golf together since I was a toddler,” Will said. “We feed off each other’s energy and we just play well together. It would mean a ton to get the win tomorrow.”
The Griffin’s hold a three-shot advantage over Derick and Kyle Kelting of Amarillo. The West Texas duo followed an opening nine 1-under 35 with a closing 3-under 33 on Saturday to card a 68 and post 10-under-par 134 through Round 2.
Juan and Juan Salcedo Jr. of The Woodlands are solo third at 8-under-par 136. Larry and Garrett Starks of Dallas and John and Jack Diamond of Houston are tied fourth at 7-under-par 137.
Following Round 2, the Championship Flight was cut to the top-19 and ties. The remaining 16 teams will make up the Presidents Flight for the final round. The Championship Flight will play combined score (both player’s ball counts) during the final round, while the Presidents Flight will continue playing four-ball.
Net Flights Update: In the Hogan Flight, Garon and Chris Goodspeed of Austin/Farmers Branch followed their opening round 6-under 66 with a 5-under-par 67. They lead the flight by two strokes over Joe and Joey Quirk or Richardson and Marc and Mason Nelson of Rockwall.
Trey Rowe and Randy Mattingley of Argyle/Flower Mound carded six birdies and a bogey to post a second consecutive 5-under-par 67. They sit at 10-under for the championship and lead the Nelson Flight by four strokes over Rockwall’s Tom and Garrett Walker.
In the Crenshaw Flight, Aaron and Jamey Freisleben of Spring/Montgomery carded a 1-under-par 71 to extend their lead. They hold two-stroke advantage over Coppell’s Frank and Frank Gerome Jr.
In the Kite Flight, Jacob and Ashley Hunter of Coppell followed their opening round 9-under 63 with a 1-under-par 71. The Hunter’s will head into the final round with a three-stroke lead over Andre and Adam Villarrial of Waco/Midlothian and David and David Cash Jr. of Spicewood/Cottonwood Shores.
Golf Course: Originally opened in 1987, Fazio Foothills is the signature track at the recently renovated Omni Barton Creek Resort and Spa. It was designed by renowned golf course architect Tom Fazio and is one of four championship courses at the resort. The 7,125-yard layout was renovated in 2004 and again in 2017, as part of Omni Hotels and Resort’s $150 million renovation of its Austin, Texas property. The two-year project included a second hotel tower, a new conference center, outdoor event pavilion, new dining venues, a spa and renovations on all four championship golf courses. Fazio Foothills offers dramatic elevation change and spectacular views. The fairways and greens are protected by cliffs, creeks and waterfalls which showcase the best of the Texas Hill Country. Known for its demanding tee shots and small greens, Fazio Foothills was recently named the No. 3 course you can play in Texas by Golf Magazine and 37th overall in the state by the Dallas Morning News. The pure test of golf has played host to various elite events over the years including the 2019 PGA Cup and the Champions Tour Legends of Golf tournament from 1990-1994.
Weather: The temperature reached 101 degrees with a light breeze around 6 mph out of the south.
What’s Next: Final Round tee times start Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m. off No. 1 & 10 tees at Omni Barton Creek Resort and Spa’s Fazio Foothills.
More Info: For more information on the Texas Father-Son, click here.