Scoring [icon name="external-link" class="" unprefixed_class=""] | Preview [icon name="file-pdf-o" class="" unprefixed_class=""] | Day 1 photos [icon name="facebook-official" class="" unprefixed_class=""] | Day 1 recap
RADFORD — Connor Johnson Jr. put on a show Wednesday at what soon will be his college home course.
Johnson, a Richmond resident and member at the Country Club of Virginia, posted a 6-under-par 66 to move to 9 under overall at the 66th Virginia State Golf Association Junior Stroke Play Championship at Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech. Johnson, who will start his Tech career next month, takes a two-stroke lead into Thursday’s third and final round of the event.
Johnson’s second round included seven birdies and an eagle, and it could have been even more memorable. He finished with bogeys on his last two holes to bring him back closer to the pack.
He leads by two over Abingdon’s Connor Creasy (Glenrochie CC), who shot a 2-under-par 70 in Wednesday’s second round to move to 7 under for the tournament.
Creasy reached the round of 16 at last week’s U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, and one of the other players in the field who reached match play in New Jersey—Leesburg’s Matthew Monastero (Loudoun G&CC)—matched Johnson’s 66 to move into a tie for third place with Chesapeake’s Patrick Gareiss (VSGA Junior Golf Circuit) at 5 under.
First-round leader Bruce Stouffer of Gordonsville (Spring Creek GC) followed his opening-round 66 with a 2-over 74 and fell into a tie for fifth place with Huddleston’s Isaac Simmons (London Downs GC) and Chesapeake’s Everett Whiten Jr. (Cahoon Plantation).
Purcellville’s Alex Price (Stoneleigh G&CC), and Virginia Beach’s Cam Barackman (The Signature at West Neck) and Caleb Choe (Bayville GC) are tied for eighth at 3 under after posting two-day aggregate totals of 141.
Johnson, who earlier this year won the prestigious Scott Robertson Memorial, was 2 under through six holes before reaching the par-5 9th. He went on a tear after that, making birdies on 9 and 10, an eagle on 12, a birdie on 13 and another birdie on 16.
Creasy, who has one year left of high school but is committed to Wake Forest University, made five birdies in Wednesday’s second round but also had a costly double bogey on No. 8.
Monastero made seven birdies before ending his round with a bogey on 18. In all, seven players posted rounds in the 60s on Wednesday, a day that featured two weather delays. Johnson, who shot a 3-under 69 in Tuesday’s first round, was the only player to post two rounds in the 60s over the tournament’s first two days.
Forty-seven players made the cut by shooting 152 or better.