Beautiful Vilips scyth through #USAm field
Karl Vilips reacts as his little bird glides by today on the 14th in Pinehurst No. 4. Photo: USGA
A spectacular backlash from Karl Vilips today highlighted a wild second day for the Aussie contingent in the American amateur championship.
A back-nine 43 on Pinehurst No. 2 on day one left Vilips to start day two at seven o'clock and needed urgent birdies on the No. 4 course for the final round of the line game.
And Western Australian based in Western Australia, champion at last year's Olympic Youth Games in Argentina, delivered in spades.
Vilips, who will soon be confirmed to play in his second Junior Presidents Cup in the international team, lit up with four front-nine birdies and then closed it with another in the last hole to become the best five-under-65 of the day against the map & # 39; the world's best amateurs.
Remarkably – with some in the field to complete their second rounds after the afternoon lightning had swept across North Carolina – Vilips jumped all the way to part of the 18th to guarantee himself a match play start in the top 64. He was one of only 19 complete rounds, on both courses, to record on day two and dropped him on two up par in total.
But while Vilips, New South Welshman Blake Windred (74 at No. 2 for +1 in total and currently T12) and Queenslander Jack Trent (76 at No. 2 for +4 in total and currently T46) can sleep, their compatriot Jordie Garner will be excused if he misses a few winks tonight.
Garner, a member on Castle Hill in north-west Sydney, completed his round in style, but, at five over in total, is on what forms as the potential playoff number for the last match play moorings.
The catch for Garner is that he is far from guaranteed that that plan will come true, and that at least two of the players who are still on course fall back into their final holes four or better tomorrow.
The good news is that Pinehurst No.2 plays its typically beastly self – and six of the players who are still at +3 or +4 have the famous layout, which at 6760 m and a par of 70 average more than has seven strokes above par on 77.04 this week.
"Just give me a chance. I just want a chance," Garner said in a typically enthusiastic way.
"I don't care if there are two (players) for a 1000 play-off, just let me be there."
Garner's chances that ebb and flowed through his round after starting on the 11th tee of No. 2.
He made three bogeys in four holes from the 15th to push him to a total of six after his opening day 73. Another blemish on the fourth probably had him packing his bags during the hour-long weather delay.
But the ruthless NSW player of the state team, with good size Nathan Barbieri on his bag, returned with his usual fire and birdied the seventh and ninth to return to the edge of qualifying.
“I thought a par-five to finish (the 10th) would be great and I was just ahead of the green for two and got a pretty good result from a not-so-great chip to be honest, so I had the chance to get four (below) with about a 10-foot, "he said.
"I hit a good putt, but it broke through the hole late and … now I just wait until morning to see what happens."
Victorian David Micheluzzi is one of those who has yet to complete his round, but World No.3 has almost no wind and needs an eagle on the long par-four to get the chance to play the possible play-off. to make.
"The scoreboard says I'm at six, but I'm actually seven, so it will really need a miracle," said Micheluzzi, who was behind the eight after opening 75 on No.2.
"I just haven't had it in the last few days and today it was actually typical. I hit some good (four birdies), but also some shockers (a double bogey on the seventh) and … it doesn't look good now . "
Canberran Josh Armstrong, based in Sydney, is the only Australian who knows the last fate of his week after a second round 73 at No. 4 leaving him in total at nine and currently T136.
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