Shotaro Ban
ALAMEDA, Calf. (April 21, 2013) -- Shotaro
Ban
posted
a second-round 67 and leads by two shots
after two
rounds of play at the 2013 Alameda
Commuters
at the
Earl Fry Course at the Chuck Corica Golf
Complex.
Ban, a red shirt on the top-ranked Cal golf
team,
opened play with a 69 and was three shots
behind
leader Danny Ro but his Sunday 67 was
enough to take
a lead after the first weekend of play. He'll be
the
leader next weekend when play continues.
The cut for the large field of 208 that started
play fell
at 147 -- a big logjam of 10 players at that
number
were happy with the news. One of the most
enjoyable
things about the Commuters is watching the
scoreboard as the "green coats" post scores
onto
individual sheets and summary boards.
Making
it to the
next weekend is a badge of honor in a field
that
typically fills both of Alameda's 18 hole
courses, the
Earl Fry North and the Jack Clark South.
The final two rounds are played the following
weekend
(April 27-28) at the Earl Fry North Course
only.
The
Senior Division plays both courses, in a 36-
hole
championship that will also be played next
weekend.
Teammate of Ban (also a Cal red shirt)
Andrew
Morgan
(69-69), Hayden Shieh (70-68) and Ryan
Sloane (67-
71) are all tied for second place --- two shots
behind
the leader.
Isaiah Salinda, who reached the championship
match
of last month's San Francisco City
Championship, is
alone in fifth place after rounds of 71-68 while
leader
Shotaro Ban's younger brother Shintaro (70-
70) is four
back. (Amateurgolf.com still confuses the two
but
we're working on getting it right.)
All told, 21 golfers came through the 36 holes
of
qualifying with scores of 142 or better. With
57
surviving players making the cut, only 11
strokes
separate the field set for this weekends play.
This weekend’s golf also will include the 26th
Alameda
Commuters Senior Golf Championship. A field
of
52 of
the NCGA’s BEST seniors 55 and over will tee
it
up.
Among the competitive field are defending
champion
Jeff Burda, 3-time champion and NCGA player
of the
year Jim Knoll, past champions Gary Vanier,
Jay
Guerin,
Bob Olds, Mark Miller, Jeff Early and Bob
Callan.
Others
in the field include AHS standout and NCGA
stalwart
Mark Merrigan, John Enright and 1982 NCGA
player of
the year Bruce Zulaica.
Spectators are welcome and admittance is
free
to the
public.
Follow continuing coverage here on
amateurgolf.com
next weekend.
Information from the Alameda Commuters
was used
in this report
ABOUT THE
Alameda Commuters
What's in a name? In the case of the Alameda
Commuters Championship, the logo of the
almost 100
year old tournament would be a dead
giveaway. It's
a steam ferry, which was the only way to
"commute"
to San Francisco from the East Bay before the
Bay
Bridge was built. Started as an informal event
-- the
original first prize was a bag of nails -- the
tournament has grown into one of the top
independent events in California.
A
dedicated tournament committee prides itself
on
running the competition
as if
it were a PGA Tour event. Two of the best
public
courses at the city-owned Chuck Corica Golf
Complex
are prepared with care. Slick greens, Sunday
pins,
and even that rarity in amateur golf –
spectators are
all part of the fun. The roped-off scoreboard is
a
particular area of pride for the "green jackets"
who
were wearing dark green blazers before they
were
made popular by another tournament you
might be
aware of in Augusta Georgia. The 250 player
championship division is cut to 50 and ties for
the
second weekend, at which time the 36-hole
senior
division tees off to join them.
View Complete Tournament Information