Oppenheim seizes 2nd round lead, Gallo, Hawley lurks two shots back
Brewster, MA-Rob Oppenheim followed up his opening 68 with a 5-under par 67 for a 9-under par total and a two shot lead heading into the final round of the 5th Annual Captain’s Open. First round leader and defending champion Kyle Gallo slipped to a 2-under par 70 and shares second place with Scott Hawley, who carded a fine 6-under par 66, the low round of the tournament. With a confusing cross wind making club selection a virtual guessing game, Oppenheim ignored the elements and started his assault quickly with an eagle on the par 5, 3rd hole. After a bogey on the fourth hole, Oppenheim made the turn in 2-under par 34 on a day when several players torched the front side in 30 or 31. “The front definitely offers plenty of opportunities,” said Oppenheim, who, to his credit, rebounded with the low back side score of the day, a 3-under par 33, to position himself atop of the leaderboard. With eleven players within five shots of his lead, Oppenheim knows he needs to focus solely on his game if he is going to prevail. “You can’t look at the other scores,” he said. “You just have to play the course. Hawley, who recently secured his 2005 Canadian Tour Card with a second place showing at the Bay Mills Tour Championship, has done much of his damage on the front side this week. After touring the opening nine of the Starboard Course in 32 strokes in the first round, the Shrewsbury, MA resident bettered that performance in round two with a 5-under par 31 effort. “There’s a lot of good birdies holes on the front,” said Hawley, who traveled the Canadian Tour with Oppenheim and is rooming with him this week. Trailing by two shots, Hawley knows he has to be aggressive, saying, “If I don’t go out and shoot 5-under par or 6-under par, I probably can’t win.” 3-under par through six holes, Gallo seemed poised to extend his first round lead. Instead, two bogies and a lone birdie the rest of the way leave him in the role of pursuer as he attempts to capture his fourth victory since the beginning of June. 34 players survived the 36-hole cut, which fell at even par 144. At stake for the final round, a total purse of $72,000 and a winner’s check of $12,500. |
