Monday, 24 September 2012

Connelly leads Allen by 2 strokes in Onslow Am golf tournament

September 23, 2012 6:30 AM

It?s an even year, so maybe the 2012 Onslow Amateur Golf Tournament will belong to 33-year-old Eddie Connelly.

After all, Connelly?s other two titles came in even years ? 2006 and 2008 ? and the Jacksonville High School graduate does lead five-time champion Jeff Allen by 2 strokes heading into today?s final round at Bear Trail Golf.

On a muggy day on the links, Connelly shot an even-par 72 Saturday on the Gold Course at Paradise Point Golf Course aboard Camp Lejeune to take a slim lead over Allen and a 3-stroke advantage over Aubrey Evans and Onslow Am first-timer Adam Kish.

While Connelly?s two wins have come in even years, all five of Allen?s titles have come, oddly enough, in odd years.

?Maybe there?s a little vibe,? Connelly said.

It was a tough day for scoring, given not only the humidity but also the wet rough, which penalized players who strayed from the fairway. Only two players broke par, and neither was in the championship or first flight field competing for the overall tournament title.

Chip Summerlin, playing in the senior division, had the best round of the day at 4-under 68 while Tim Manson shot a 69 in the open division second flight.

?I saved 72 shots, how about that?? Connelly said when asked about his round. ?I don?t feel like I?m playing all that well, but I feel like I?m just trying to keep the ball in front of me.?

And get on Camp Lejeune.

Security wouldn?t allow Connelly on base, so he had to call his mother to take him to the course, which he joked about with course officials, along with asking her for $5 ? as he did growing up before hitting the course.

?I really did,? he said, adding that ?$5 used to get me around here all day, 12 hours a day.?

While not feeling he?s at the top of his game, Connelly likes where he is heading into the final round.

?I need all the cushion I can get. I wish it was a 0 after that 2-shot lead, but I feel safe,? he said. ?Jeff?s a great player. I?ve just got to go out there and put it in the fairway and put it on the green and see where we end up after 36 holes.?

Allen wasn?t all that happy with his round after double-bogeying the par-4 477-yard 18th hole after driving it into the rough and then sending his second shot into a small pond to the left of the green.

?That was a bad finish,? he said. ?It (the round overall) was all right. ? But I drove the ball extremely bad. It?s the worst driving day I?ve had in a long time. I?m satisfied because I?ve been playing bad the last couple weeks. I was kind of skeptical how I was going to be today. I?m satisfied, but it was not my best round by far.?

Right behind Connelly and Allen are Evans and Kish. Evans is playing in his fourth straight Onslow Am, having finished second in 2009, while Kish, a 28-year-old Marine Corps sergeant, is playing in his first Onslow Am, having missed last year?s because he was deployed.

?I had four bad holes,? Evans said, ?two bogeys and a double bogey and only one birdie. You needed to make at least a couple more birdies to try to offset the not-so-good holes. But other than that, I?m happy with it considering where I would say the good players are or the people in my flight. Nobody?s running away with it so I?ve still got a shot.?

In fact, Evans said anyone within 4 strokes of the lead has a chance to win.

That would include Evans and Kish, who called his round ?OK,? noting he double-bogeyed the par-4 No. 15 ? the toughest-rated hole on the course ? and bogeyed No. 18.

?So I kind of left a couple out there,? Kish said. ?It should have been a little bit better than that, but I?m happy with 75.?

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Source: http://www.jdnews.com/sports/onslow-108662-strokes-allen.html

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