DAYTON — The wind died and down went the scores with it in the second round of Web.com Tour qualifying at Dayton Valley Golf Club.
Tyler Weworski of Carlsbad, Calif., led the way with a 6-under-par 66 to take a one shot lead over four players with a 36-hole total of 5-under 139. There were 25 scores under par in the second round and 37 players in the 75-player field shot par or better compared to just 12 players under par and 15 players at par or better in the first round. Derek Berg (Kenmore, Wash.) a veteran of Dayton qualifying shot a 4-under 68 for a 4-under 140 total and is tied for second with Chris Gilman (Yorba Linda, Calif.) who shot 2-under 70, Tony Finau (Lehi, Utah) had a 3-under 69 and Chris Williams (Moscow, Id.) fired a 5-under 67.
First round leader Dusty Fielding (Washington, Utah) shot even par in the second round and is tied for sixth at 3-under 141 with Bryan Martin (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) who shot a 3-under 69.
“It was easier today than yesterday but not like the past,” said Berg who finished tied for 17th at 5-under to advance from last year’s PGA qualifier at Dayton. “In years past on days with good weather like this you knew you had to shoot a low score to keep pace with the field. But these greens are so hard and fast you can still score but probably not as low.”
Former Nevada Wolf Pack golfer Scott Smith bounced back with a 3-under 69 in the second round and moved into a tie for 17th place at even par 144 that puts him well into the safe zone to advance. He had four birdies and just one bogey in his round.
“Without the wind it was easier today but the pin placements were still tough and the greens were even faster,” Smith said. “It was a pretty good day, I missed it in the right spots that made it easier to make par and overall it was a solid round.”
Former USC Trojan golfer Martin Trainer of Palo Alto, Calif. made one of the biggest moves of the day. He shot a 6-under 66 that tied him with Weworski for low round of the tournament so far and moved from a tie for 51st into a tie for 10th at 1-under 143.
“I played well all the way around today and limited the mistakes,” said Trainer who chipped-in for an eagle on the par-5 18th hole. “I’m not sure but I might have it every green in regulation and only had one bogey when I three-putted he 12th hole.”
Williams shot the second low round of the tournament with a 5-under 67. Williams is no stranger to big time golf even though he just turned pro this summer after graduating from the University of Washington. He finished his amateur career as the No. 1 ranked player in the world and made his pro debut at the PGA Tour Travelers Championship. He has played in two U.S. Opens and other Web.com and PGA Tour events including the Frys.com Open last week where a four-putt cost him missing the cut by one stroke.
“This is definitely a totally different experience than any other kind of tournament I’ve ever played in,” Williams said. “You have to stay in the moment and keep your focus. I’m right where I want to be in terms of qualifying,” he said. “But I still want to win because I haven’t won for a long time (2012 Western Amateur) and it would be nice to get that feeling again.”
NOTES: It has been a long time since Russell Nygard (Redding, Calif.) played Dayton Valley. Nygard played for Las Vegas Green Valley High in the 1996 Nevada State High School Division 1-A boys golf championship played at Dayton Valley Golf Club. Nygard led his team to victory over a Las Vegas Bonanza High team that included current PGA Tour star Scott Piercy...The low 32 scores and ties after the final round will advance to Second Stage PGA Tour Qualifying. If the tournament ended today, the cut line for qualifying would be at 3-over par, with 36 players theoretically advancing. The projected final cut is difficult to project but looks to be between even and 2-over par. The next two rounds will be pivotal for many players in the field as 27 players are within 4 shots of the current cut line with totals of 145 or better...There was a 30-minute frost delay at the start of the second round but much more benign weather conditions lead to the lower scores. The field played to an average score of 73.07 in the second round and improved two strokes from the first round. The 36-hole scoring average for the field is 74.09 that is still higher than normal over 19 years of tour qualifying at Dayton. There have been 13 eagles and 436 birdies carded in the first two rounds.
For complete results and individual player scorecards visit the web link: http://pgatq.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/pgatq13/event/pgatq1312/contest/1/leaderboard.htm
