Zackheim tied at the top in Portland Open, 16 others within 5 shots

Texas Style shootout set for tomorrow’s final round

            Portland,Me-Following Wednesday’s scintillating opening round of 8-under par 63 in the Greater Portland Open, Eli Zackheim seemed relieved that Geoff Sisk, his number one nemesis the past two tournaments, was not in the field. Well, after yesterday’s 2-under par 69, Zackheim is no longer the solo leader, and 16, yes, 16 other players are within five shots of the lead entering tomorrow’s final round at River Side Municipal Golf Course. With a Texas style shootout expected, and so many different outcomes still yet to be determined, maybe Eli is not so relieved after all.

            Right from the onset of the second round, Zackheim struggled to build off the momentum he had created on the first day. After making the turn in 1-over par, which allowed dozens of players to keep themselves within shouting distance of the lead, Zackheim began to display the form that has resulted in two runner-up finishes to Geoff Sisk in the last three weeks. 

Following two missed opportunities from short range for birdie, Zackheim quickly collected himself and finished strongly with birdies on 16 and 17 en route to a 3-under par 33 to grab a share of the lead with Ryan Dillon, who fired a 4-under par 67 following his opening 65.

Rich Parker and Jerry Diphilippo sit one shot back of the co-leaders at 8-under par. Billy Downes made a big jump up the leaderboard following a 7-under par 65, and sits in a three way tie for 5^th place with Kirk Hanefeld and Noah Zelnik at 8-under par.

Zelnik, who fired a 64 in the opening round, bogied three of his first five holes but recovered nicely with a trio of birdies on 12, 13 and 14. “I’m disappointed with the way I scored,” said Zelnik, who has amassed 13 birdies through two rounds.

Ryan Ouelette leads another trio of players at 7-under par and two more Cleveland stars, Kevin Henry and Jesse Smith, sit one shot further back at 6-under par.

60 players in all, including twelve amateurs, survived the two day cut of 5-over par 147. Tim Kremer leads the race for low-amateur with a two day total of 3-under par 139.

Heading into the final round with a piece of the lead for the third consecutive tournament, Zackheim seems as confident as ever to finally get over that proverbial humb. “I can certainly go head to head with these guys and come out on top.”