Mont Belvieu – Danny Simmerman maintains his first round lead after a 3-over par 74 in the second round of the 2016 South Mid-Amateur Championship. Simmerman sits at 1-under par for the championship and leads by one stroke over John Hunter. Eagle Pointe Golf Club, east of Houston in Mont Belvieu, is the host site for this year’s championship.
Shavano Park’s Simmerman started his round off with four pars in a row. Simmerman would go on to card two bogeys and a lone birdie for an opening nine, Eagle Pointe’s back nine, 1-over par 36. As he made the turn, Simmerman wasn’t able to regain the momentum from round one and made bogey on the par four first, his tenth hole of the round. Simmerman made a second bogey on his second nine on his way to a 3-over par 74, and a 36-hole total of 1-under par 141. Simmerman leads the pack by 1 stroke, with seven players within four strokes.
Hunter, of Houston, sits one back of Simmerman’s lead after shooting the low round of the day, even par 71. Hunter started off his round well with a birdie on the par four 10th hole but he gave the stroke right back with a bogey on the following hole. John carded another birdie on the par five 17th hole and turned at 1-under par 34 on his opening nine. Hunter carded two bogeys during his second nine but he was able to birdie the par five 9th hole to shoot back-to-back rounds of even par 71.
John Pierce, of San Antonio, is two strokes back after shooting a 1-over par 72. Pierce carded four birdies and five bogies during his second round. Pierce will enter the final round at 1-over par 143. Pierce is paired with Simmerman and Hunter in the final group at 9:21 am tomorrow morning.
Five players trail the 36-hole leader by four strokes. The group at 3-over par 145 includes Houston’s Bob Kearney, San Antonio’s Colby Harwell, and Houston’s Nicholas Cristea.
Danny Simmerman continues to lead the race for the Super Mid-Amateur title after 36 holes. Simmerman leads by two strokes over his fellow competitor John Pierce. Bob Kearney sits four back at 3-over par. The award of Super Mid-Amateur is also awarded during the South Mid-Amateur Championship. A medallion is presented to the individual with the low 54-hole total that is 40+ years of age.
The final round of the 2016 South Mid-Amateur Championship begins at 8:00 am on Sunday. Click here to follow the championship.