Not that Joshua Mathis wasn’t confident of his abilities, but his reservations at a local hotel lasted only until Friday morning, even though the CGA Stroke Play Championship he’s competing in continues through Sunday.
“I’ve got to find a hotel room,” the 19-year-old golfer from Colorado Springs said after his Friday round at Boulder Country Club. “They kicked us out of our hotel. We were only staying for two nights because I didn’t know if I was going to make the cut or not. (When booking the room) my mom said it was like $200 more (to reserve one for the weekend) and you can’t take it back. I was like, “˜Yeah, I haven’t golfed in three weeks. Don’t do anything drastic.'”
Well, it turns out that not only did Mathis make the 36-hole cut, he’s leading the Stroke Play — by four shots, no less.
Mathis added to his advantage on Friday by shooting a 2-under-par 68, which leaves him at 7-under 133 heading into Saturday.
Sixteen-year-old Wyndham Clark of Cherry Hills Country Club, who qualified for the U.S. Amateur earlier this week, continued his strong play by moving into a share of second place. Joining him at 137 is Lakewood Country Club’s Steve Irwin, who shot 69 in his quest to add a CGA Stroke Play title to the Match Play victory he earned in 2004.
Former professional Danny Riskam (69-138) and 2008 CGA Mid-Amateur champion Jon Lindstrom (70-139) also were among the five players who broke par for 36 holes.
Defending champion Steve Ziegler rallied on his back nine Friday to move into contention. His 4-under-par 31 on the front side at BCC left him with a 68 and at even-par 140, tied with U.S. Amateur qualifier Cody Kent (69 Friday).
With all the firepower in the field to start the week, Mathis would have been an improbable pick as the halfway leader. Not that he isn’t capable, but he’s competed in just one other tournament of note this summer, that being the club championship he won at Colorado Springs Country Club.
But the sophomore-to-be at Biola University in southern California has made just two bogeys in two days and didn’t write a “5” on his scorecard either Thursday or Friday.
“It doesn’t feel that hard right now,” said Mathis, who played just 27 holes of golf in the three weeks leading up to the Stroke Play due to vacation plans and a case of strep throat. “I’m not thinking too hard, which is good. I go hit shots and don’t think too hard about any of them. I feel good.”
But Mathis knows he can’t let up now, not with the caliber of players who are on his tail. Clark is ranked among the top 20 junior players in the nation. Ziegler made it to the quarterfinals of the 2009 U.S. Amateur. Irwin and Riskam have played plenty of tournament golf both as pros and amateurs. Lindstrom has qualified for nine USGA championships as an individual. And Kent is an up-and-coming young player.
“With guys like Clark and Ziegler and Irwin in the field, I want as big a lead as possible going into the weekend,” Mathis said. “All those guys can shoot such low scores.”
Clark, for instance, led the 2009 CGA Stroke Play with nine holes remaining before ending up in a third-place tie with Lindstrom.
“Last year Steve (Ziegler) definitely won it — he made an eagle and a couple of birdies on the back side — but I also felt like I gave it away a little bit,” Clark said. “It definitely gives me some extra incentive.”
On Friday, Clark birdied four of his first five holes, but cooled off after that.
“I definitely had a lot better round than what I shot today,” he said. “My swing is getting real close. I think it’s a matter of time before I’m hitting it great and shooting some really low scores.” As for Irwin, he posted his second straight sub-par round on a course he knows well by virtue of his days as a University of Colorado golfer in the 1990s.
“I know I can play this golf course,” he said. “I know I can make a bunch of birdies. There are obviously some other good players out there as well, but I’m confident on this course. Hopefully I’ll have a good weekend.”
Ziegler also figures to be a threat on the weekend. After playing his first 28 holes of the tournament in 4 over par, he went 4 under in his last eight holes. And he shot a 64 at BCC in a practice round on Wednesday.
“I was getting pretty darn frustrated” in the middle of the day on Friday, the senior-to-be at Stanford said. “But then I realized there’s a lot of golf left. I’m glad I got a few back on the second nine. I’m in a good spot. I’m happy to be where I am considering how I played. “¦ Seven back, that’s no problem at all. Two days is a long time.”
The 42 players who shot 148 or better survived the halfway cut. The leaders will tee off at 9:27 a.m. on Saturday.
