Auburn sophomore sits alone atop leaderboard at Western Amateur

Oklahoma golfer sets competitive course record at Moraine in second round
The scene during the first round of the Western Amateur Championship on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, at Moraine Country Club in Dayton. David Jablonski/Staff

Credit: David Jablonski

Credit: David Jablonski

The scene during the first round of the Western Amateur Championship on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, at Moraine Country Club in Dayton. David Jablonski/Staff

Jackson Koivun, of Chapel Hill, N.C., followed a first-round 65 with a 5-under 66 in the second round of the Western Amateur Championship on Wednesday at Moraine Country Club.

Koivun, a sophomore at Auburn who won the Jack Nicklaus Award as the nation’s top Division I golfer in 2024 and is No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, sits at 11-under. He has a two-shot lead in the field of 156. He had birdies on Nos. 4, 8 and 18 and an eagle on No. 13.

“I hit into a few divots that led to some errant shots,” Koivun said in a press release, “so I definitely had a few more stressful pars today, but chipping was really good and kind of saved me today.”

Zach Pollo, of Rocklin, Calif, sits alone in second place at 9-under after rounds of 66 and 67. Pollo was an All-Pac-12 second team selection last season as a sophomore at Arizona.

Three golfers share third place at 8-under: Benjamin James, of Milford, Conn.; Ian Gilligan, of Reno, Nev; and Jase Summy, of Keller, Texas.

Summy, a junior at Oklahoma, shot 72 in the first round and 62 in the second. That’s a new Moraine Country Club record for a round played in competition. The previous record of 64 was set by Jason Gerken, a Logan High School graduate who played at Princeton, on Aug. 29, 2020.

Summy also tied Michael Thorbjornsen, who shot a 62 at Glen View Club in 2021, for the second-lowest score in Western Amateur stroke-play qualifying history. Summy had 10 birdies and one bogey.

“I guess I kind of got it going today,” Summy said in a press release. “The putter was putting, and I just hit it close on a lot. I knew where I was at, and it was tough coming down the stretch, but it was a special round that I’m going to remember, for sure.”

Carroll graduate Tyler Goecke is tied for 36th. He shot 69 in the first round and 72 in the second round.

Lakota East graduate Joe Wilson IV is tied for 36. He followed a first-round 73 with a 68.

Fifty four players advanced to the final 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying. The cut was 1-under par.

The third round begins at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, and the fourth round starts at 12:30 p.m.

The tournament continues Friday and Saturday with the match-play portion of the event.

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