NORTH CAROLINA’S GORDON UP BY 4

Edmonton Country Club course stingy despite ideal conditions for low scores

With soft greens, negligible wind and the players allowed to play lift, clean and place, the Edmonton Country Club was there for the taking.

But nobody could wrestle the old girl to the ground in Friday’s second round of the 1932bybateman Open.

Then North Carolina’s Will Gordon showed up.

After dancing through the front nine in 3-under, Gordon eagled No. 10, and then, after a bogey on No. 11, quickly replied with birdies on 12, 13, 16 and 17 to shoot 7-under for the second straight day for a two-day total of 14-under.

The result is a 4-shot lead over Tennessee’s Stoney Crouch, Texas’ Zach Cabra and Ohio’s Ian Holt, who are all tied for second at 10-under par.

Gordon said he looked at the scoreboard after nine holes and saw everyone bunched at 9 and 10 under.

“I knew I had nine holes left. I knew if I stayed in the moment I could extend my lead.”

He did. With an exclamation point when he eagled No. 10 after hitting a 3-iron from 268 yards to 15 feet.

“That was big,” said Gordon, who recently graduated from Vanderbilt as a three-time All-american.

“There’s a lot of golf left. People will continue to shoot low,” said Gordon, who shot a 60 in the Mackenzie Tour - PGA Tour of Canada event in Lethbridge last month.

While the Mackenzie Tour was off last week, Gordon got a sponsor’s exemption into the PGA Tour’s Barracuda Championship in Reno, Nevada, tying for 31st after a rough last round.

“I felt confident in my abilities. I’m ready to compete out there.”

Until Gordon took flight, the leaderboard was tighter than Ebenezer Scrooge.

“I’m kind of surprised. I thought the scores would be lower,” said Holt. “The conditions are pretty much ideal for scoring. It was just go right at the flag.”

Holt had one of the most unusual eagles on the Par 5 6th hole.

“I hit it into the trees on the left, chipped out to 145 yards and then knocked in a 9-iron. It looked like a 3 all the way,” he said wryly.

Holt said the eagle sort of atoned for getting robbed on several putts.

“I hit the lip of the hole on 1, 2, 4 and 5. None of them went in. It sort of evens out. If those putts had dropped I probably wouldn’t have eagled No. 6,” said Holt, who has two top 10s on the Mackenzie Tour this year and who finished second when the Mackenzie

Tour came to Edmonton last year at the Edmonton Petroleum Club.

Crouch said he liked where he was sitting and liked what he had done on Friday.

“I feel good. I’m going into the third round in good shape and I get to sleep in. It was a pretty simple day really,” said Crouch, who had six birdies and no bogeys.

Crouch was in the final group in the last Mackenzie Tour - PGA Tour Canada event two weeks ago in Halifax after rounds of 64-65-69. Then he shot a 3-over 75 in the last round and wound up tied for 16th.

Playing with conditional status up until now, Crouch said he’ll learn from that experience.

“If I’m in the final group (Saturday or Sunday) I’ll know what to expect,” said Crouch, who will in fact be in Saturday’s final pairing with Gordon.

“I just have to go out and play and forget about anyone else is doing. I just have to do it for myself.

Cabra had a nice feeling when he came to the Edmonton Country Club.

“It reminds me of a golf course — Mountain Valley in Fort

Worth, Texas. Small greens. And if you hit the greens you have a chance at birdie. But you’ve got to make those putts,” said Cabra, 27, who is in his first year on the Mackenzie Tour.

Cabra had five birdies and a bogey for his 67.

Stock report: Edmonton’s Wil Bateman is still in the hunt at 5-under for the two days after draining a 20-foot slider on the 18th hole for a birdie which put him at 1-under for Friday’s round.

“There’s lots of golf left,” said Bateman. “I’m right there. I can make a run (Saturday).

Despite birdieing three of his first six holes, Bateman said, “It was a nice start, but for some reason I was a tiny bit nervous. I don’t know why other than this is my first tournament in quite a while.”

Bateman said a bogey on No. 9 was the turning point.

“I lost some momentum. I laid up on No. 10 even though I had a perfect number for a 5-wood but I didn’t take it. I eagled that hole in the Pro-am. I should have made at least a 4 (Friday).”

I’m kind of surprised. I thought the scores would be lower. The conditions are pretty much ideal for scoring. It was just go right at the flag.