Conditions toughen on Winged Foot's East Course in the 100th Met Open
MAMARONECK, N.Y. (August 26, 2015) – Scoring proved to be a challenge during Wednesday morning’s second round of the 100th Met Open, as no competitor recorded a sub-par score on Winged Foot’s East Course. Ben Polland of Deepdale and amateur Cameron Young of Sleepy Hollow posted the morning’s best scores at even-par 70. Amateur Dawson Jones currently owns the low 36-hole score of 1-under 139, while Polland and two-time champion Mark Mielke are one back at even-par 140.
Polland’s even-par was anything but routine, featuring an eagle and a double-bogey, four birdies and four bogeys. The Deepdale assistant’s eagle came on the par-4 10th, as he holed out from more than 50 yards.
Young’s card featured four birdies and four bogeys. Three of Young’s birdies came in succession on holes 10 through 12 and were welcome after he had none in Tuesday’s first round. “I birdied 10, had about a two-footer for birdie on 11 that I made and had another wedge that I hit to about six feet, under the hole on 12,” Young explained. “That stretch of birdies was real nice in the middle of the round. It got me going a little bit.”
Jones shot a 2-over 72 and remains near the top of the leaderboard. “I hit the ball pretty similar, yesterday to today, but I just putted lights out yesterday and they weren’t quite falling today,” Jones explained. “I birdied the third hole, a par three, which I was happy about because the par-3s here are just unreal. I hit a pretty good third shot into the 12th and made the putt.”
Meanwhile, Mielke shot a 1-over 71 to follow up his opening round 69. Though Mielke admittedly found the conditions challenging, he is very much in the mix. “I hit the ball better today than I did yesterday, I just didn’t get as many putts to go in,” Mielke said. “The golf course played tough. It was a complete opposite wind yesterday than today, so the easy holes yesterday played hard today and vice versa.”
“It’s always fun to get in contention,” reported Mielke. “That’s what it’s all about, that’s what we work hard for, so it’s great. I need to hit my longer irons a little bit better. I have a lot of four or five-irons out here and today I mishit a few. I’ll probably work on my long irons and hopefully tomorrow it will be a little bit straighter.”
The afternoon wave is currently on the course. Following Wednesday’s second round, a cut will be made to the low 60 scores and ties.
