MCCOY BUILDS THREE-SHOT LEAD IN FORT MCMURRAY
- TWO PLAYERS SET NEW COURSE RECORD ON LOW-SCORING DAY-
Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON
June 28-July 1, 2012
Fort McMurray Golf Club (36-36) Par 72
Purse: $150,000
Winner's share: $24,000
Weather: 20 degrees celsius, winds gusting to 10 km/h
Second Round Leaderboard (bold denotes Canadian)
Nate McCoy, Des Moines, IA - 67-65 = 132 (-12)
Cory Renfew, Victoria, BC - 71-64 = 135 (-9)
Roger Sloan, Merritt, BC - 69-68 = 137 (-7)
Dan Buchner, Seal Beach, CA - 69-68 = 137 (-7)
Matt Hill, Sarnia, ON - 72-66 = 138 (-6)
Andrew Roque, Monterey Park, CA - 69-69 = 138 (-6)
Seven tied at 139 (-5)
(June 28, 2012 - Fort McMurray, AB) - Nate McCoy of Des Moines, IA used a seven-under 65 to build a three-shot lead through two rounds at the Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON in Fort McMurray, AB.
McCoy mades seven birdies for the round, five of them coming on the front nine (his back nine). The 21-year old praised his solid putting and was excited to be in good position after 36 holes.
"It's unbelievable," said McCoy about grabbing the lead in just his third professional event. "I didn't think I'd be in this position, but it's really nice. I guess that's what happens when you make a lot of putts," added McCoy, who turned professional this spring after finishing tied for 29th at the NCAA Championship, his final amateur event.
The Iowa State University graduate could have been even lower if not for a pair of eagle putts that just fell short of dropping. Still, McCoy says he's looking forward to the challenge of the final rounds.
"You can't do it all in one day. I'm just going to stay patient and take each shot as it comes," said McCoy, who married his college sweetheart Ashley two weeks ago.
The scoring conditions at Fort McMurray Golf Club eased up on Friday, with Micah Burke of Los Angeles, CA and Cory Renfrew of Victoria, BC setting a new course record of 64 (-8).
Renfrew, who finished T-2 in front of hometown fans at the Times Colonist Island Savings Open, birdied three of his final four holes and sits in second place at nine under par.
"It was a good one. I didn't have to make any long ones for par," said Renfrew, who added that he learned from his close call in Victoria just how good he'll need to play on the weekend to win.
"All these guys out here are so good, you can't really sit on a lead. You just have to bear down and keep making as many birdies as you can."
Renfrew currently sits second in the race for Canadian Rookie of the Year presented by the Great Waterway Tourism Region, just behind Abbotsford, BC's Nick Taylor, who shot 69 and sits tied for eighth at five-under.
Burke, meanwhile, rebounded from a first-round 75 (+3) to make eight birdies and zero bogeys in his 64 to put himself in good position for the weekend.
Merritt, BC's Roger Sloan, who earned an unofficial victory in Kamloops this year, sits tied for third with Web.com Tour member Dan Buchner of Seal Beach, CA.
Sarnia, ON's Matt Hill, who can earn fully exempt status on the Canadian Tour with a finish of solo fourth or better, shot a six-under 66 to sit tied for fifth with Times Colonist Island Savings Open winner Andrew Roque, who shot his second consecutive round of 69 (-3).
Two-time RE/MAX World Long Drive Champion Jamie Sadlowski of St. Paul, AB missed the cut at 149 (+5), while 15-year old Kota Kagasaki of Australia, believed to be the youngest member of any pro tour in the world, shot a 74 (+2) to finish at 151 (+7)
The third round of the Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON begins Saturday at 7:42 AM, with the final pairing of Renfrew and McCoy, both Canadian Tour rookies, going off at 12:30 PM.
