TRUCKEE, Calif. – Davis Riley, 16, of Hattiesburg, Miss., shot a 3-under-par 69, and Zachary Bauchou, 17, of Forest, Va., carded his second consecutive 70 Tuesday to share the clubhouse lead on the second day of stroke-play qualifying in the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at the par-72, 7,740-yard Martis Camp Club. Both players sit at 4-under 140 after 36 holes.
First round leaders Scottie Scheffler, 17, of Dallas, and Corey Eddings, 17, of Roseville, Calif., were among 78 golfers with afternoon tee times. Their 67s were one stroke off the course record of 66, which is held by four players.
The U.S. Junior Amateur Championship consists of 36 holes of stroke play followed by six rounds of match play, with the championship scheduled to conclude with a 36-hole final on Saturday, July 27, starting at 7 a.m. PDT.
The U.S. Junior Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
Bauchou, who advanced to the Round of 16 at last year’s U.S. Junior Amateur, had six birdies and four bogeys en route to a 2-under-par 70. He capped his round by hitting a 178-yard 8-iron to 15 feet at No. 18 for his third birdie on the inward nine.
I had two up-and-down rounds, said Bauchou, who played in U.S. Open sectional qualifying at Rockville, Md., last month. I made a lot of birdies and a lot of putts. Everything resets [in match play]. When I get to the tee my two 70s are gone. I just have to beat the other guy.
Riley shot an even-par 36 on the outward nine, but jump-started his second round with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 10 and 11. He made a 12-foot putt at the par-5 10th, before striking an 8-iron to 2 feet at the par-4 11th. Riley, who reached the Round of 32 at last year’s Junior Amateur, later eagled the 569-yard, par-5 15th. He chased a 4-iron 240 yards to within 8 feet. A bogey at No. 16 left him 4-under overall for the championship.
I am hitting the ball really well, said Riley, who started his first round on Monday with an eagle on the par-5 10th. I feel like if I keep doing what I am doing I will go really far. In match play you are not really worried about the whole field like stroke play.
Sam Horsfield, 16, of England, was one behind the clubhouse leaders with a 36-hole score of 141. He added a 1-under-par 71 to his first-round 70. Horsfield, who advanced to match play at the 2012 Junior Amateur and reached the Round of 16 at last week’s U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, started on the 10th hole. He eagled the par-5 15th by hitting a 5-wood 263 yards to 2 feet.
It was a good experience to get to the round of 16 at the [Amateur] Public Links last week, said Horsfield, who won the Florida State Amateur in June and has claimed two consecutive City of Orlando Amateurs. You are playing against one person; it’s one-on-one.
Wilson Furr, 15, of Jackson, Miss., shot 1-under-par 71 for the second consecutive day for a 36-hole total of 142. Furr, the youngest player in the field to break par on the first day of stroke play, started on the 10th hole and made the turn at 3-under 33. He finished with bogeys on two of his last three holes.
I made my goal and it’s a great feeling, said Furr, who played in this year’s U.S. Open sectional qualifier in Memphis, Tenn. To make match play is a real good accomplishment. [U.S. Open sectional qualifying] really helped me prepare. It was the most nerve-racking thing I’ve done and I learned from the experience.
Sean Crocker, 16, of Zimbabwe, and Maverick McNealy, 17, of Portola Valley, Calif., rebounded in the second round’s morning wave after digging themselves holes with first-round scores in the high 70s. Both were positioned to advance to match play.
Crocker, who was the low amateur at the Zimbabwe Open in April and played in last month’s U.S. Open sectional qualifier in Newport Beach, Calif., began with a 5-over-par 77 in the opening round of stroke play. But Crocker, who started on the 10th hole, made four consecutive birdies on his second nine to card a 3-under 69.
McNealy, a quarterfinalist at last year’s U.S. Junior Amateur, struggled to a 6-over 78 in the first round with a pair of double bogeys. But he regrouped with a second-round 69, highlighted by an eagle at the drivable 323-yard, par-4 16th.
Brian DePasquale is a manager of championship communications for the USGA. Email him at bdepasquale@usga.org.