|
Sykora smashes course record with 63, leads by two over Seavey and Sisk
Sterling, MA-Shannon Sykora shattered the course record by three shots with a scintillating 8-under par 63 and sits at 10-under par after the second round of the inaugural Sterling Open. First round leader Jeff Seavey and two-time player of the year Geoff Sisk both lurk two shots back at 8-under par. Brian Lamberti, an assistant at the Nevele Grand, is in solo fourth at 7-under. Tour money leader Sean O’Hair and veteran Eric Egloff sit two shots further back at 5-under par while former PGA Tour veteran Billy Downes and tour rookie Nick Cowper share 7th place at 4-under par. “I was thinking I could get it to 10-under,” said Sykora, who accomplished that and is now looking for his second Cleveland Tour victory of the season. Two-under par through six holes, Sykora proceeded to go on a tear, recording birdies on his next six holes to get to 8-under par through 12. Sykora now heads into the final round looking for his 15th victory as a professional. “I have enough experience to not freak out,” said Sykora, when asked how he would handle the rigors of a final round. First round leader Jeff Seavey may have relinquished the lead but a second round 68 has him in position to earn his first ever victory on the Cleveland circuit. Unlike Sykora and Sisk, who have been playing professionally for over 30 years combined, Seavey is a relative rookie, having turned pro in 1997. “I’m new to the game,” said Seavey, who is a looking for a continuation of the solid ball striking that enabled him to hit 17 greens in regulation on day two. Like Sykora, Geoff Sisk is also looking for his second win of the season. Two shots back, Sisk was in position to threaten the lead but was not able to parlay his front nine 32 into any further damage on the more difficult back side as he returned in even par 35. As for his final round frame of mind, even a veteran like Sisk isn’t immune to butterflies. “Nerves are going to be there,” said the four-time U.S. Open participant. “It’s just part of human nature.” Thirty-two players survived the 36 hole cut, which fell at 1-over par 143. A record breaking winner’s check of $12,500 is at stake in the final round. The Sterling Open is one of five new venues on the Cleveland Golf Tour schedule. Bill Link, who fired a second round 66 and is a member at Sterling, had nothing but praise for the condition of the golf course. “The greens are perfect,” Link emphasized. “They [Grounds crew] never get to make the course this hard.” It’s a “greens keepers dream” to be able to that, Link added. |
