–TRANS-MISS SCORES
The 107th Trans-Mississippi Championship, being held at Denver Country Club this week, has a leaderboard that isn’t lacking for storylines.
There are two sons of PGA Tour winners in contention. There is a father-son duo in the hunt, and they’re the Real McCoys. And there are two college golf teammates who each have a realistic shot at the title.
But those six players are hardly the only ones who still have hope of walking away with the trophy on Thursday. Indeed, a dozen competitors are either in the lead or within six strokes of it.
Amory Davis, a senior-to-be at the University of Virginia, and Max Homa, who will be a sophomore at Cal next season, share the top spot at 6-under-par 134. Homa matched the best round of the tournament, a 5-under 65, on Wednesday, while Davis posted a 66.
Though there have been a smattering of low scores, Denver Country Club has held its own despite playing just a little over 6,800 yards at a mile-high altitude. A lot of doglegs, small greens and tucked pins have negated some of the advantage of big-hitting players.
“It’s tricky,” said Davis, winner of the 2008 Delaware Open. “If you get off line and start not thinking, you can make bogeys and doubles real quick. You’ve just got to stay patient.”
Added Homa, who has a Cal teammate who’s also under par (Brandon Hagy, 138): “As short as the course is, it’s not like you’re bombing driver and driving half the greens. You need to play strategically, especially with the wind.”
In all, eight players are under par after two rounds, with six of them being college golfers and the other two recently having used up their college eligibility. This is the first year since 1986 that the Trans-Miss has allowed players under 25 to compete.
Former Stanford golfer Dodge Kemmer, the first-round leader, trails by a stroke after a 70 on Wednesday. Joining him at 135 is Scott Pinckney, a senior-to-be at Arizona State.
Oklahoma State golfer Kevin Tway, whose father Bob won the 1978 Trans-Miss, stands at 137 with Iowa State’s Nate McCoy.
McCoy’s father, Mike, is one of the few non-collegians in contention at Denver Country Club. Mike McCoy has posted back-to-back 70s.
Also at 140 is the low player who calls Colorado home. Gunner Wiebe of Aurora — and the University of San Diego — has recorded rounds of 69-71. Wiebe and Tway both have dads who have won on the PGA Tour (Mark Wiebe and Bob Tway).
Despite draining a 15-foot birdie on No. 18 Wednesday, Gunner Wiebe walked off the course feeling like he deserved a better score given how good he hit the ball. Wiebe is 1 over par despite hitting 31 of 36 greens in regulation. His putting — 34 strokes per day — has left something to be desired.
“Yesterday, I hit the ball like (it was a round of) 65, and today I hit the ball like 65 again,” said Wiebe, winner of last week’s CGA Match Play Championship. “The greens were tough. It was frustrating. It really tested my patience.”
Still, despite being six strokes out of the lead, Wiebe feels like he can still win.
“I’m just waiting for my chance on the greens,” he said. “I’m due to have a round with 29 or 30 putts. So if I hit it tomorrow like I did today and yesterday, I think I should have a pretty good chance to win.”
Meanwhile, in the senior division for players 55 and older, first-round leader Chip Lutz of Reading, Pa., withstood a sore back to retain the top spot. His 3-over-par 73 Wednesday left him at 2-over 142 for the tournament. Bob Burton of Everett, Wash., fired a 70 to end up two strokes back, while Robert Polk of Parker was among four players at 146.
