The mid-am leader en route to a sand save

Mathias, the mid-am leader, shot an even-par 72 for a 2-under-par 36-hole total of 142 on the 7,224 yard Fazio Course to extend his lead over Reno’s Robert Nelson to four strokes.

Jerry Ledzinski of Carmel, California and Larry Nunez of Odessa, Texas are tied for third with a 36-hole total of 148.

Defending senior champion Bob Hullender carded a 1-over 73 to bring his 36-hole total to 143, six strokes better than his nearest competitor, Jerry Hudgins of Houston. Denny Alexander of Fort Worth, posted a 73 and sits at 150 for the two days.

Mathias started the day giving one back with a bogey on the first hole before quickly settling down and posting four straight pars and birdies on three of the final four holes.

He got his round to 3-under for the day with a birdie on the 12th hole but quickly lost the extra margin he gained with a double bogey on the 13th when he hit his drive left into the woods.

“I just made a bad swing and lost it left and I had to punch and try and recover,” Mathias said. “I birdied 17 and missed a five-footer for par on 18. I got a little sloppy coming down the stretch but ended up okay.”

Last year’s mid-am runner-up, Jerry Ledzinski, gained some ground on the field with a 1-over-par 73 as did David Nelson who posted the low round of the day with a 71.

Bob Hullender followed up yesterday’s low-round of the tournament with a 73. Hullender played a steady front nine with some breezy conditions. He had a single birdie at the 6th and a single bogey at the 9th to turn at even par. His back-nine round was similar with 8 pars and a single bogey. “I hit the ball good but just could not make any putts,” said Hullender.

Jerry Hudgins, who played with Hullender, kept it interesting with a bogey on the 2nd, followed with a double on the 3rd, and a bogey on the 4th. From there, he settled down and played a great round playing the last 14 holes at 1-under-par to shoot 75.

The mid-am cut was 158 and the senior division cut was 157. Tomorrow’s round will start at 8:00 am with a shotgun start. The top six mid-am contestants and the top three seniors will tee off the first tee starting tomorrow at 8:10 am.

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