Miner, Bates grab lead after Second Round of 51st Texas Four-Ball presented by Republic Aviation
Albert Miner of Rockwall and Justin Bates of Bartonville separated themselves from a crowded leaderboard Saturday, taking a two-stroke lead into the final round of the 51st Texas Four-Ball, presented by Republic Aviation. After opening the championship with an 8-under 64, Miner and Bates followed with a 6-under 66 to reach 14-under for the championship and move into sole possession of the lead heading into Sunday’s final round at Rockwall Golf & Athletic Club.
Miner and Bates wasted little time creating separation from the field. Both players birdied the par-4 third hole, a dogleg left that runs along Lake Ray Hubbard, before adding another birdie on No. 5 and No. 6 to make the turn at 4-under for the round. The duo continued its steady play on the back nine, adding birdies on Nos. 10 and 13 before making four consecutive pars on Nos. 14-17. A final birdie on No. 18 gave Miner and Bates a 6-under 66 and the clubhouse lead. With one round remaining, the duo will look to finish the job and give Miner a chance to capture the Texas Four-Ball title at his home club.
Just two strokes separate Miner and Bates from two teams tied for second at 12-under. Kyle Robbins of Keller and Michael Smith of McKinney made the biggest move among the leaders, firing a 5-under 67, while J.J. Black and Landon Tujague of Dallas carded a 4-under 68 to remain within striking distance. Behind them three teams are tied for fourth heading into Sunday Tyler Palmer and Steven Holtgrieve of Irving, brothers Casey Carnes of Schertz and Michael Carnes of New Braunfels, and host club members C.J. Brock of Rockwall and Brock Mulder of McKinney are tied for sixth at 11-under. Palmer and Holtgrieve carded a 3-under 69, while the Carnes brothers posted one of the low rounds of the day with a 6-under 66 and Brock and Mulder followed with a 5-under 67. Shayne Eddleman and Ryan O’Rear of Georgetown sit alone in 10th at 10-under after a 2-under 70. Rounding out the top 10 are 48th Texas Four-Ball champions Rory Smith and Aaron Hickman of Tyler, Kyle Dickerson and Clay Hodge of Tyler, and Chris Minton and Austen Christensen of Houston, all at 9-under.
In the Senior Division, Tim Dick of Kingwood and Scott Tibbits of Huffman maintained their lead with a second-round 4-under 68 to reach 14-under for the championship. The duo holds a one-stroke advantage over Tim Mauser of Aledo and John Stollenwerck of Dallas, who sit at 13-under. Grady Bruce of Leander and Todd Bonneau, along with defending Senior Division champions Andy Hydorn of Houston and Mike Padilla of Richmond, are tied for third at 12-under, while Keith Lundquist of Liberty Hill and Jerry Achilles of Georgetown round out the top five at 11-under.
Larry Corson and Sam Manning of Dallas also extended their lead in the Super Senior Division, following their opening-round 9-under 63 with a 4-under 68 to reach 13-under for the championship. The duo holds a four-stroke advantage over defending Super Senior Division champions Scott Smith of Montgomery and David Ortega of Spring and Brock Stevens of Fort Worth and Chuck Gardner of Texarkana, who are tied for second at 9-under. Steven Trafton and John Gough of Georgetown, John Grace of Fort Worth and Bill Holstead of Wichita Falls, and Mike Peck and Steve Love of Irving also advanced to the final round.
Heat once again tested the field throughout the second round. Temperatures began in the mid-80s for the Championship Division before climbing into the mid-90s, eventually reaching a high of 104 degrees as the Senior and Super Senior divisions played their afternoon rounds. Unlike Friday’s opening round, wind played little factor, with sustained winds averaging between 5 and 8 mph and gusts reaching 9 mph.
At the conclusion of the second round, the field was cut to the low 40 and ties, prorated by division. Twenty-five teams advanced in the Championship Division, 13 teams moved on in the Senior Division and six teams will compete for the Super Senior Division title.
The final round of the 51st Texas Four-Ball, presented by Republic Aviation, begins Sunday at 7:30 a.m. The Championship Division will tee off from No. 1, while the Senior and Super Senior divisions will begin from No. 10.
To learn more about the 51st Texas Four-Ball presented by Republic Aviation, click here. To view Round Two results, click here.