Around the Green

Paul Gonzalez Takes the Lead with Lowest Round of the West Texas Amateur

AMARILLO – Paul Gonzalez Shoots 4-under 67 to Take the Lead

Paul Gonzalez of Arlington, shot the lowest round of the tournament so far with a four-under 67. The UT-Arlington golfer added this score to his even par 71 yesterday and now stands alone at the top of the leaderboard of the 90^th West Texas Amateur.

“I have been driving extremely well and landing in the fairways. I am focused on staying conservative and not try to do too much” says Gonzalez. “Tomorrow, I will keep doing same things and take it one shot at a time.”

Zach James of Whitesboro, shot a 2-under 69 to finish second overall at 3-under. David Bolen, last year’s West Texas Amateur Champion, along with Luke Kane, Amarillo Country Club member as well as the West Texas Champion the last time Amarillo Country Club hosted the West Texas Amateur, and Tate Allred of Perryton all are tied for third at 1-under.

(Click Here for Round 2 Scores)

The Senior Division is still a tight race, but has shortened down to two players tied for the lead, Chuck Palmer of Dallas and Ralph Ellis of Amarillo. Palmer and Ellis sit at 2-over after two rounds. Lewis Stephenson of Mansfield is right behind them with a 3-over after 36 holes.

Ed Brooks of Fort Worth continues his strong play and shoots an impressive one-under 70 for the second round.
“My putting has been rough, however, I have been striking the ball really well”, says Brooks when asked about how he has played thus far. “You couldn’t ask for a more beautiful course to play on here at Amarillo Country Club, and I plan on taking advantage of the greens and making putts tomorrow.”

 Last year’s Senior Texas Amateur Champion leads with a score of one-over after two rounds and leads the Super Senior Division by five strokes with Steve Rogers still in second place with a score of 6-over after two rounds.

Amarillo CC opened for play in 1919 with an original design by William McConnell. The course has undergone several renovations over time, with the latest taking place in 2011. Overseen by Weibring-Wolfard Golf Design, the multi-million dollar project took 18 months to complete and reopened in the summer of 2013. With six completely new holes — three each on the front (Nos. 4, 5, 6) and back nine (10, 11, 12), more teeing options on each hole and improved turf conditioning, the Panhandle jewel now looks and plays better than ever.

Following play of the Second Round, the championship division will be cut to the low 48 players and ties and the Senior Division will be cut to the low 18 players and ties. There will not be a cut in the Super Senior Division.

The third round of the 90^th West Texas Amateur starts begins Sunday, July 22, at 8:00 AM. For more information, click here.