BUIES CREEK, NC (May 19, 2018) - Zack Swanson of Charlotte, N.C. took over the lead in the second round of the 3rd Carolinian Amateur at Keith Hills Country Club in Buies Creek, N.C. He finished the round 5-under-par with a score of 67, putting him at seven-under-par for the tournament.

Swanson, as well as the other golfers, dealt with steady rain throughout the day, and Swanson was able to finish his round minutes before a two and a half hour delay for unplayable conditions.

"I always think 'Everybody has to play in the rain.' It's all about preparation, and preparing for the worst, really," said Swanson, "I was pretty comfortable out there so I didn't mind the rain."

That was certainly evident as Swanson was able to post the lowest round of this year's tournament with an eagle, four birdies, and just one bogey. Swanson credited his improved scores to better approach shots, leaving him with makeable putts.

"I left myself with a lot of uphill putts," said the 2017 NCHSAA 3A State Champion, "These greens can be hard to read so leaving yourself uphill putts makes it a lot easier."

Brett McLamb of Coats, N.C built on his strong first round with another 3-under, 69, placing him just one stroke back from Swanson at the top of the leaderboard. Thomas Owen of Fayetteville, N.C., the 18-hole leader, and Amarin Kraivixien of Buies Creek, N.C. both sit at 4-under-par, tied for third place.

The cut after the second round came in at 11-over-par with 74 players making it to the final day. Sunday's final round will tee off at 8:00 a.m. with a trophy ceremony for the winner immediately after play concludes.

ROUND ONE RECAP

Thomas Owen of Fayetteville, N.C. took the early lead in the first round of the 3rd Carolinian Amateur at Keith Hills CC in Buies Creek, N.C. He finished the round 4-under-par with a score of 68.

A solid and consistent round from start to finish, Owen never recorded a single bogey during any hole. Teeing off on the tenth hole, he rolled in a putt to sink his first birdie of the day, which started his round much improved from last year's tournament start.

"Last year, I started on ten in this tournament and made a double, so it felt great to make a birdie on a really tough hole, so that was a good start."

Owen said he felt comfortable throughout his round because he was hitting from the fairway during most of the day. He focused on hitting the right club off the tee in order to position himself on or near the green.

His strategy proving effective, Owen's round unfolded similarly to the way it began. He put an exclamation point on his performance by ending it with a birdie on his last hole of the day. Feeling satisfied, he said, "It was fun. I'm glad to be in the mix, and I'm just excited."

With two days left of golf to play, there is a three-way tie one shot behind Owen at 3-under-par. Brett McLamb of Coats, N.C, who was last year's runner-up at the event, looks to claim the title he narrowly lost in last year's competition. McLamb, Jake Scruggs of Shelby, N.C. and Clay Holland of Greensboro, N.C. each shot a 69 to begin their tournament.

Battling drizzles of rain throughout the round, 15 of the of the 151 golfers registered for the tournament finished even or under par.

Saturday's round will tee off at 8:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and there will be a cut after round two, reducing the field to the top 60 players.

The Carolinian Amateur format is 54 holes of stroke play. After 36 holes, the field is cut to the low 60 scores and ties.

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