WAIKOLOA — Both Southern California and Texas made a run up the leaderboard Friday morning, but by the time the dust settled in the early afternoon, Oklahoma State remained at the top of the Amer Ari standings.
The No. 1 ranked Cowboys increased their lead over the field despite shooting six strokes worse than they did in the opening round, finishing with a Day 2 score of 15-under 273 at the Waikoloa Kings’ Course.
With the aid of a slip down the leaderboard by Texas Tech, Oklahoma State’s two-day total of 36-under 540 leads the stacked field, which includes five teams ranked in the top 20 in the nation, by five strokes.
Consistency has been key for the Cowboys, with three golfers currently in the hunt for the individual low medalist. Day 1 leader Zach Bauchou had a more difficult time on the course Friday, but his 2-under 70 puts him in a tie for fourth overall, just two shots back of Texas’ Cole Hammer, who shot an 8-under in the second round to move up six spots for the lead. Hammer currently sits at 13-under for the tournament.
Oklahoma State’s Matthew Wolff turned in a strong performance, going 8-under to move into a tie with Bauchou. They are joined by teammate Viktor Hovland, who is 11-under for the tournament.
Thanks to Hammer’s performance, the 14th ranked Longhorns moved up the leaderboard, from 9th to 3rd, with a second day team score of 23-under. Texas is 30-under for the tournament.
At 20-under on Day 2, No. 8 USC was able to sneak into second with a two-day total of 31-under.
Texas Tech opened the day in second place but dropped back two spots, putting them in a tie with Oregon for fourth overall at 24-under. The Red Raiders were only 5-under for the day.
The second best team in the country, Georgia Tech, dropped three spots to seventh after a 4-under performance. At 15-under for the tournament, they trail No. 16 Auburn (-23).
Individually, Oregon’s Edwin Yi and USC’s Justin Suh sit in a tie for second with a two day score of 12-under. Yi finished with a 7-under on Friday, while Suh, the reigning Amer Ari champion, finished at 8-under.
Suh sits on the top of the USGA Men’s World Amateur Golf Rankings. Hovland and Wolff are third and fourth respectively. Hammer is ranked 11th and Bauchou is 14th.
HAWAII TEAMS STRUGGLE
After a 3-over performance on Day 2, the University of Hawaii-Hilo dropped three spots in the team standings, moving down to 15th. UH-Hilo now has a two-day score of even par.
The Vulcans are led by Jared Kinoshita. After battling with the leaders on Day 1, Kinoshita fell back into the back on the second day with a 1-over 73. At 5-under for the tournament, he currently sits in a tie for 20th.
UH-Manoa remained in last place at 27-over after finishing 18-over on Friday.
The Rainbow Warriors were led by Waiakea grad Trevor Hirata and Cameron Kaneko, who are currently tied for 90th at 6-over for the tournament. Hirata was 3-over on Friday and Kaneko finished 4-over.
THE COURSE
Hole No. 16 was the hardest on the day. A par-4 at 442 yards, the field combined for a 4.37 scoring average, which included 27 bogies and eight double bogeys.
The 184-yard, par-3 7th hole maintained its firm grip on the field. The hardest hole from Day 1 finished as the third most difficult on Day 2 with a scoring average of 3.24. Statically, it remains the hardest hole over the two-day span with five triple bogies or worse. It has allowed only 17 birdies, tied for the fewest on the course.
The final round of the Amer Ari will start today at 7:30 a.m. The public is invited to watch.