Vinar takes the lead on Moving Day at 41st Texas Mid-Amateur presented by Hytera US
ARGYLE – Kendrick Vinar of Richardson took charge on moving day at the 41st Texas Mid-Amateur presented by Hytera US. The Richardson resident carded a 4-under 67 to hold a four-shot lead over the field heading into the final round.
The second round of the 41st Texas Mid-Amateur showcased the competition and introduced new players to the top 10, along with a new clubhouse leader.
“It was a grind today, to be honest,” Vinar said. “I empathize with the guys who played yesterday afternoon because the wind kicked up and made conditions challenging. The greens firmed up a little bit as well, so distance control was important.”
Vinar’s 67 was the low score of the day, propelling him up the leaderboard and into first place. Vinar, a top-20 finisher at the 40th Texas Mid-Amateur at Midland Country Club, aims to carry his momentum into the final round.
“I got here by taking it one shot at a time,” Vinar said. “There are a lot of good players in the field, and there are low numbers out here, so there will be a lot of guys chasing me tomorrow.”
One of those players chasing Vinar is host club member Marcus Jones of Argyle, who is tied for second. Jones carded a 2-under 69, keeping himself in a strong position heading into the final 18 holes.
“Today I played really well early,” Jones said. “I really had a chance to go low but made a few mistakes at the end. However, I made birdie on the last, so overall I’m happy to have a chance tomorrow.”
Jones, one of seven Denton Country Club host members in the tournament, aims to secure the top Mid-Amateur title in Texas.
“We’re excited to have everyone here at Denton Country Club,” Jones said. “It’s a fun golf course, and it can play kind of sneaky hard, like it did today when the greens got firm.”
Also tied for second is 2024 Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play Champion Cal Clyde V of Houston. Clyde fired his second consecutive 2-under 69 to stay well within contention and pursue his second title of the 2024 season.
“Today started off nicely, but then it got challenging in the middle and became a scrambling round,” Clyde V said. “Some unorthodox shots out there, but I was able to piece it together and still have a chance going into tomorrow.”
Rounding out the players tied for second are John Beringer of San Antonio and Rashid Salem of Westlake.
Finishing the second round tied for sixth are Gant Bills of Plano, Robert Gwin of Montgomery, Coy Breen of San Antonio, and Niko Martinez of Cypress.
Breen, a 2022 Texas Shootout competitor for the South Team, battled the tough conditions of wind and firm greens at Denton Country Club to stay in the top 10 and make one final charge tomorrow.
“I rolled it well again today and made a few long putts that helped get the round going in the morning,” Breen said. “The greens are rolling well, which helped.”
Tied for 11th are Jeff Howard of Plano, host club member Chase Traughber of Lantana, and 2023 Texas Player of the Year Zach Atkinson of Colleyville.
The second round saw temperatures in the high 60s and calm winds, warming up into the high 70s with winds around 10-15 mph. The day concluded with temperatures in the low 80s and winds around 15-18 mph, with gusts reaching 25 mph.
The official yardage for Round 2 was 6,486 yards, with the toughest hole being No. 1, which played directly into the wind with an average score of 4.62.
Sixty players will head into the final round tomorrow at Denton Country Club for the 41st Texas Mid-Amateur presented by Hytera US.
The final round will commence Sept. 8 at 8 a.m. off No. 1 and No. 10 tees.
To read more information on the 41st Texas Mid-Amateur presented by Hytera US, click here.