San Angelo – Braden Smith builds on his lead in the second-round finishing with a three-under 69. Trevor Hyde leads the Senior Division at seven-under, while Wichita Falls Ed Ball leads the Super Senior Division at two-under.
Leaders: Braden Smith leads the Championship Division after his three-under 69 on Saturday. He grows his lead by going bogey-free in Round 2. His rounds of 65-69 have him at 10-under for the tournament and looking for his first victory in the West Texas Amateur. Trevor Hyde of Kerrville is leading the Senior Division by two strokes heading into the final round. Hyde fought for every hole in the second round today, putting up three birdies to finish with a 71. Hyde is seeking his first West Texas Amateur Senior Division win in his first event as a Senior. Ed Ball of Wichita Falls showed off his toughness and worked his way into the lead in the Super Senior Division heading into the final round. Finishing with 71, Ball made five birdies to set himself into a great position. Ball is looking for his first win in the Super Senior Division.
In Contention: Trailing Smith in the Championship Division is Luke Hagan and Leyton Hiebert at nine-under and just one back of the lead. Casey Carnes of Schertz is in fourth at seven-under. Richman Houston is just four back of the lead in fifth at six-under. Lubbock’s Aston Castillo, Austins Josh Goldstein, Lubbock’s Preston Defriend, Midlands Davis Seybert, and New Braunfels Carson Gallaher share sixth place at five-under. In the Senior Division, John Derrick of Waco is in second at five-under. Derricks six-under 66 tied for the lowest round of the day in the Senior Division. John McClure of Austin is alone in third at four-under. Larry Corson of Dallas and Jeff Bellnap of Kingwood are in fourth and fifth respectively at three and two-under. Dallas’ Neal Barfield, and Southlake’s Mike Lohner finish tied for sixth at one-under. In the Super Senior Division, Mansfield’s Doug Hopton-Jones trails Ball at one under, while Michael Jones of Richardson sits in third at even-par. Lelan Chiles of Granbury heads into the final round in fourth at one-over and Jonestown’s Steven Trafton follows right behind in fifth place at two-over.
Golf Course: Located on 300 rolling acres long the Concho River in San Angelo, Quicksand is 7,171 yards of challenging golf featuring several bunkers, several water hazards along with generous rolling fairways that combine to make this a unique experience. This is the first time the West Texas Amateur will be played at Quicksand Golf Course
Weather: Temperatures started in the low 80s in the morning. Temperatures rose to 100 degrees in the afternoon, really heating things up on the course. There was a calm breeze around 5-10 miles per hour in the morning but picked up out of the South in the afternoon.
Tournament History: The West Texas Amateur is a 144-player tournament across three divisions. This Regional Event is open to all residents of Texas and has boasted some amazing past champions such as Charles Coody, Billy Maxwell, Bob Estes, and Alex Moon. This year’s event saw more than 300 signups.
TGA Regional Series: The TGA Regional Series is made up of four events for each region of North and South Texas. There is a Regional Four-Ball, Mid-Amateur, Senior Amateur, and Amateur for both the North and South. The West Texas Amateur also serves as an event in the Regional Series and is open to any players in the state of Texas that meet eligibility.
What’s Next: The Divisions were all cut in half following the second round and the Final Round is scheduled to begin at 7:30 am off the No. 1 and 10 tees. The Championship Division will tee off No. 1, while the Super Senior and Senior Divisions will tee off the No. 10 tee. A champion will be crowned on Sunday and cement his legacy in West Texas Amateur history.
For more information on the West Texas Amateur, click here.