Friday’s second round of the Quarter Century Partnership was a mirror image of Thursday’s opening 18 holes.
While the temperatures again hovered around the triple-digit mark, the duo of Alfred Galyean and Bobby Hutcherson went low for the second straight day
Galyean and Hutcherson created some separation from the rest of the field by shooting a 10-under-par 62 on the Old Course Friday after shooting the same number the previous day on the Links Course.
Galyean and Hutcherson lead by three shots heading into Saturday’s final round back on the Links Course.
Galyean added that a big key Friday was getting off to a good start by going 4-under par after the first three holes.
“I putted really well yesterday and it was really good again today,” Galyean said. “It seemed like if someone was out of the hole, the other person would have a great look and so we just weren’t in too much trouble.”
Galyean also closed the round strong by making a birdie on the 18th hole to extend the lead.
This is the third year that Galyean has played the Quarter Century and the first that he’s teamed up with Hutcherson.
This is Hutcherson’s first year in the tournament and he is making the most of the debut.
“You feel pretty comfortable here,” Hutcherson said. “We feel like we’re in a good spot and we’re going to try and capitalize tomorrow.”
Among the golfers trying to track down the leaders is the team of Brady Shivers and Michael Pruitt.
Playing in the group ahead, the team matched the low round of the day with a 62 of its own after opening with a 65 Thursday.
They are tied for second with first-round leaders Colby Harwell and Josh Logan (61-66—127). Brian Scherer and Martin Board were three shots further back in fourth place (66-64—130).
“Michael and I tell ourselves that you can’t win it on the first day but you can lose it,” Shivers said. “We just tried to go out and shoot a good round and our goal is to get in that last group on the final day.”
Shivers added that he did plenty of scoreboard tracking during the round saying that he always liked to see where he stood.
Pruitt took a different approach and didn’t start looking until the tail end of the round. Ultimately, his focus was on getting in contention for the final 18 holes.
“The pins will be a little harder tomorrow and the course might be a little bit longer compared to what we played on Thursday,” Pruitt said. “But you just have to find a way to make a birdie because there are a lot of low scores to be had.”
Shivers and Pruitt got a boost after Pruitt birdiedthe 18th hole to end the day.
The ensuing celebration is something that Shivers hopes can put him in the right frame of mind for Saturday.
“It’s big,” he said. “I always like to end the round on a good note and everybody probably does.
“To finish today off of with a good second shot and putt gives me a lot of momentum going into tomorrow.”
As for the leaders, Gaylean added that it’s all about staying focused on the next shot and not getting ahead of themselves.
“There are a lot of good teams in this tournament so no lead is secure,” he said. “We just have to go out and hit fairways and greens and give ourselves opportunities.”
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