El Paso golfer shoots 29 on back 9 in second round of the NM Open
El Paso’s Devin Miertschin had nine holes left during Wednesday’s second round of the 64th annual New Mexico Open, and he needed to come up big to just make the cut. He came up huge. After shooting remarkable 7-under 29 on that back side, making the cut was no longer a question heading into today’s final round of the 54-hole event at Sandia Golf Club.
“It was wild,” said Miertschin, an assistant pro at El Paso’s Lone Star Golf Club. “It didn’t even occur to me until after the 17th hole that I had a chance at 29. I went to the back nine knowing I had to play 3 or 4 under just to be able to play (today).”
Miertschin, however, will likely need another 29 on one side — and maybe both — to have a chance to win the event. While he raced up the leaderboard after rounds of 74-66 for a 4-under 140 total (2-over 146 was the cutoff), he’s still seven shots off the lead shared by three players in the $85,000
event.
Nyasha Mauchaza, who grew up in Zimbabwe and plays out of Port Saint Lucie, Fla., Tyler Torano of Chula Vista, Calif., and Daniel Miernicki are all at 11-under 133.
Jim Knous, a two-time winner of Farmington’s San Juan Open who played on this year’s Web.com Tour, had a 4-under 68 in Wednesday’s windy afternoon round and is at 10 under overall in fourth. Knous is from Littleton, Colo.
Cole Nygren, of Longmont, Co., is 8 under and Silver City’s Calum Hill is 7 under.
Albuquerque’s DJ Brigman (69-70) is in a three-way tie for ninth at 5 under while Albuquerque’s Wil Collins, a former champion in the event, shot 67 on Wednesday and is tied for 17th at 3 under.
First-round leader Dylan Healey of Marana, Ariz., who grew up in Albuquerque, shot a 65 on Tuesday but a 77 on Wednesday and fell to 26th.
While Miertschin is only tied for 12th, his 29 was the buzz Wednesday.
He hit his approach to within a foot on No. 10 for birdie, then hit an errant tee shot into a bush on the par-4 11th and looked like his week might be finished.
“I pulled my drive into the desert, and the ball was actually sitting up in a bush,” he said. “I decided to play it from there, and hit an 8-iron about 150 yards. I had never tried that shot before.”
A stellar 4-iron from 240 yards nestled to within seven feet of the cup, and Miertschin made the putt to save par.
“That’s the hole that really got me going,” he said. “Then things just started happening.”
Birdies on 13, 14, 15 and 16, all after firing tremendous approach shots, two within 3 inches, had him at 5 under on the back side heading to the par-5 17th.
He drained a 10-foot eagle putt there and made par on 18.
“I first started counting them up after 17, and was like, ‘Wow,’” he said. “I hadn’t realized that I could shoot 29.”
Miertschin, 27, grew up playing golf in New Mexico as part of the Sun Country Junior Tour.
He played college golf at the University of Texas before transferring to UTEP, from where he graduated.