Shumate, 48, shows off to youngsters

Bryon Shumate of Fort Smith carded four birdies on the back nine en route to a 4-under-par 68 and a oneshot lead over Ben Sanders after the second round of the 45th annual Maumelle Classic on a cloudy, unseasonably mild Saturday afternoon at Maumelle Country Club in Maumelle.

Shumate is at 7-under 137 overall in the prestigious amateur stroke-play event, a shot better than Sanders, the men’s and women’s golf coach at Southern Arkansas University. Sanders shot a second-round

70.

First-round leader Luke Cornett of Drasco is at 4-under 140 after a second-round

73. Three players are at 3-under 141, including defending champion Stafford Gray of Lonoke.

Shumate, the 2008 Maumelle Classic champion, punctuated Saturday’s round with a birdie on No. 17, a demanding 204-yard par 3 guarded by two bunkers and water in front.

Shumate moved to 7 under after hitting a 5-iron to about 2½ feet.

“All that a 48-year-old’s got,” said Shumate, a reference to Saturday’s pairing with two collegiate players. “You’ve got to realize these kids, you can add both of them up and they’re not my age.”

Shumate had earlier birdied No. 11, No. 12 and No. 15. His only birdie on the front nine came on No. 2, a 567yard par 5. He parred the other eight holes. The only blemish on Shumate’s card was a bogey on No. 14.

“The pins were probably tougher today, but I made a few putts,” Shumate said. “I bogeyed two par fives [Friday] and birdied one on the front nine today. That’s three shots right there.”

Shumate said he’s played the Maumelle Classic every year since winning a decade ago, routinely finishing between “fifth and 10th.” He tied for 10th in 2017 after shooting 145 (74-71) in the first two rounds.

“My swing’s better this year, for sure,” he said. “Lot of work.”

Sanders had three birdies and one bogey in the second round, but he couldn’t convert four birdie putts inside 10 feet, including three on the front nine.

“I left a little bit out there,” Sanders said. “I got up and down the last few holes there to kind of hold it together, so I would say it all kind of evened out.”

Sanders, 34, said the Maumelle Classic is his first strokeplay event in about four years.

“More or less, doing what I’ve been doing,” Sanders said of his strategy for today’s final round. “Get the ball in play off the tee box and give myself a chance. Once I get onto the greens, hopefully I can convert a few more putts. That’s basically the deal.”

Sanders will be paired with Shumate and Cornett in today’s final group. They are scheduled to tee off at 12:39 p.m. Thirty-seven players made the 36-hole cut in the open division, which was 9-over-par 153.

Play was delayed about a half-hour Saturday morning because of lightning.