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N. Calif. Match Play: Alex Franklin medals
PEBBLE BEACH – After the morning wave of the second round the early 36-hole clubhouse lead belongs to Alex Franklin of San Rafael. Franklin fired a three-under-par 69 in the first group out Tuesday morning to complement his opening round of 71 nicely, for a 140, four-under-par total. The 21-year-old has been pleased with his game thus far and credits his exceptional scores to staying out of trouble.

“I never really put myself in a bad position today,” he said. “I just kept the ball in play, put the ball on the green and had a lot of two-putt pars. Really, I just didn’t have too many stressful pars.”

Starting out with seven straight pars, Franklin finally saw a change on his scorecard with a birdie on No. 8 and a bogey on No. 9 for an even-par 36. Then on the back nine, the San Rafael resident opened with birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 and finished with a birdie on the 18th for a bogey-free 33.

With match play beginning tomorrow and a top-seed in store, the incoming junior at Oregon State doesn’t look to change his game plan too much and mainly hopes to continue to hit the ball well.

“If I play the way in match play I’ve been playing the last few days, it’s going to be pretty good because I’ve been hitting a lot of greens and fairways,” he said.

Only one other player from the morning wave finished 36 holes with an under-par score as Jeff Murphy of Pleasant Hill posted a 143, one-under-par with rounds of 72 and 71.

Seven under-par scores are currently out on the course in the afternoon wave, including first round leader Cody Blick (five-under) and his nearest competitor Jonathan De Los Reyes (four-under).

Results: NCGA Match Play
WinCABen GeyerArbuckle, CA400
Runner-upCAAndrew MorganLong Beach, CA260
SemifinalsCAAlex FranklinSan Rafael, CA160
SemifinalsCACorey PereiraCameron Park, CA160
QuarterfinalsCARyan KnopPleasanton, CA120

View full results for NCGA Match Play

ABOUT THE NCGA Match Play

The oldest of the NCGA’s major events, the Amateur Match Play Championship, dates back to 1903 when it was first played at San Rafael GC. Varying formats have been used over the 100+ years of competition but today the tournament is 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying, followed by a 32-person seeded match play bracket. Pre-qualifying required for non-exempt players. Players must have a handicap index of 5.4 or less.

View Complete Tournament Information

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