Scoring [icon name="external-link" class="" unprefixed_class=""] | Photos (Round 1) [icon name="facebook-official" class="" unprefixed_class=""] | Photos (Round 2) [icon name="facebook-official" class="" unprefixed_class=""] | Round 3 starting times [icon name="external-link" class="" unprefixed_class=""] | Round 1 recap | Championship preview [icon name="file-pdf-o" class="" unprefixed_class=""]
By Chris Lang
ALEXANDRIA — Playing his home course at Belle Haven Country Club, Teddy Zinsner will enter the third and final round of the 65th Virginia State Golf Association Junior Stroke Play Championship with a one-stroke lead. But a trio of Connors is hot on his tail.
Connor Burgess (Boonsboro CC) and Connor Johnson Jr. (CC of Virginia) each posted 4-under-par 68s in Wednesday’s second round following first-round 74s, pulling them within a stroke of Zinsner, who shot a 3-under 141 during the tournament’s first two days. Connor Creasy (Glenrochie GC) followed his opening-round 72 with a 71 and is two strokes back at 143.
“I’m definitely going to have to play well tomorrow,” said Zinsner, who bogeyed three of his final four holes Wednesday. “But I’m still comfortable, and I’m in the lead. I definitely think if I do what I did the first two days, I should be good. I just can’t make stupid mistakes like I made coming in today.”
Those mistakes? Zinsner failed to get up and down from the bunker on 15. Then, after a strong drive on the par-5 16th, he went for the green in two and yanked his approach left into a hazard, leading to a bogey. On the par-4 18th, he left his approach short and it rolled down the false front of the green, leaving him with a tough up and down.
Zinsner fared better than the other two first-round co-leaders. Kyle Cardenas (Army Navy CC) followed his 69 with a 75, but he is still in the hunt, three shots back at 144. Drew Brockwell (GC at the Highlands) couldn’t avoid big numbers, making two double bogeys and a triple bogey on his way to an 80 that dropped him into a tie for 16th.
Johnson and Burgess took advantage of the leaders’ missteps to make big moves on Wednesday. Johnson took an aggressive mindset into the second round, and it showed. He made six birdies and an eagle along with four bogeys, and he was 5 under through six holes.
“I knew I had to shoot something low today to get back into it,” said Johnson, a rising senior at St. Christopher’s in Richmond who has committed to Virginia Tech. “That kind of freed me up. Instead of playing defensively, I started playing aggressively. I was just firing at pins on the front nine, and that freed me up to make birdies throughout the round.”
Burgess made six birdies and ended each nine with a bogey. He said the biggest difference between his two rounds was the condition of the course. Heavy rain Sunday and Monday left Belle Haven a little soft for the first round, but Tuesday wind and abundant sunshine Wednesday dried out the track.
“The fairways were rolling out a little more,” Burgess said. “On some holes, I was three or four clubs shorter into a green, whereas yesterday, [balls] just stopped. The greens are still good, they’re pretty quick and rolling well. But the difference were the fairways. I had shorter clubs into the green.”
Creasy, a rising junior at Abingdon High School who has committed to Wake Forest, was 3 under through eight holes but fell back to even for the day after a double bogey on 13. He got one back on 16 to finish at 71, leaving him in prime position to contend on Thursday.
Cardenas is tied for fifth with Jack Montague (Hermitage CC) and Christopher Zhang (Blacksburg CC), both of whom shot a 2-under 70 to move back to even for the tournament; and Brandon Berry (River Bend Club), who shot the low round of the tournament, a 5-under 67 that included six birdies and one bogey.
Defending champion Kurtis Grant (Army Navy CC) is five shots back at 146 after posting a 75 on Wednesday. Michael Brennan (River Creek Club), who tied for low amateur honors at the Delta Dental State Open of Virginia last week, returned a second-round 76 and is six shots behind Zinsner.
In all, 48 players made the cut at 157 or better.
Chris Lang is the Editor of Virginia Golfer Magazine and Manager, Digital Media for the VSGA.