Field cut to 53 for third and fourth rounds on Thursday
By MATT HARNESS
Benton Harbor, Mich. (July 31, 2019) – A self-described bad bogey at the first hole didn’t derail David Laskin, of Elk Grove, California, in the second round of the 117th Western Amateur on Wednesday.
Laskin went on to shoot 4-under 66 to share the 36-hole lead with Daniel Wetterich, of Cincinnati, Ohio.
“I’ve been focusing on my mental game and how to handle tough situations,” Laskin said. “It was not a great bogey on the first, but I knew I could make plenty of birdies out there.”
A senior at Arizona, Laskin posted four birdies on his second nine, punctuating his round with one from nine feet on No. 18.
“I stayed patient and took chances where I could,” he said. “I felt like I could have made a few more. I had birdie putts from inside 10 feet on my last three holes.”
One of Laskin’s highlights came at No. 12 when he holed a 50-foot putt over a ridge for birdie. He said he made a similar, but longer, putt on No. 11 Tuesday.
“I gave it a run, and it ended up being on the right line,” he said. “It was cool to see that one go in. I joked with my caddie that I should always leave myself below ridges.”
Wetterich, who graduated from Ohio State in the spring, birdied three of his last six holes for a 68 that put him atop the leaderboard after the morning wave.
“I wasn’t hitting the ball the greatest, but I managed my game really well and put myself in spots to make some birdies,” Wetterich said.
Nine players are tied for third at 5 under, including Quade Cummins, of Weatherford, Oklahoma. A redshirt senior at Oklahoma, Cummins equaled the low round of the tournament by shooting 64 on Wednesday. He carded an eagle and four birdies on his second nine.
The 36-hole cut came at even par, and 53 players advanced to Thursday’s third and fourth rounds. The field will be trimmed to 16 before the match play portion of the tournament starts Friday.
Top-ranked amateur player Chun An Yu, of Taoyuan, Taiwan, is among the notables to survive the first cut. He stands 3 under after rounds of 66-71. Western Junior champion Piercen Hunt, of Hartland, Wisconsin, is 1 under after shooting 68 and will play another 36 holes.
Defending champion and No. 2-ranked player Cole Hammer, of Houston, Texas, missed the cut at 1 over.