Suhre in the hunt at Sunset Hills Classic
Photo by Bill Yarbrough.
Andrew Gwinup chips onto the 16th green during play in the Sunset Hills NGA Classic Friday.
Andrew Gwinup’s professional golfing career is in its infancy while Carson Baugher’s will have to wait a few more years.
But both gained valuable experience Thursday and Friday at the Sunset HIlls NGA Classic.
“This was one of my first professional tournaments,” said Gwinup, a former standout at Edwardsvlle High. “It was exciting, nerve-racking ... Everything you want it to be.”
For Baugher, a Western Illinois University recruit who led the Tiger golf team to a third-place finish at state as a senior this fall, his first professional golf tournament was a learning experience.
“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “It was a good experience and something I can take with me to college. I just wish I would have played a little bit better. But overall it was a great experience.”
For both Gwinup and Baugher, who played in the same group together the first two rounds of the tournament, getting into the top 60 and making the cut was the goal.
Neither, however, would reach that as Gwinup fired a four-over par 76 on Friday to go with an 82 in Thursday’s opening round to finish at 158 while Baugher carded an 83 on Friday after firing a six-over 78 on Thursday, giving him a two-day total of 161.
Gwinup said he missed a lot of opportunities in his round Friday. And while that hurt him in his chances to reach the weekend, it also gave him hope that he can play at this level.
“I had the chances, which is the important thing,” he said. “I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. But I think I fit in well out here.”
The list of golfers in the tournament with ties to the Edwardsville area was dwindled from seven to one after Friday’s second round.
Mike Suhre, golf pro at Oak Brook Golf Course and a former member of the Hooters Tour, carded his second straight one-over round of 73 Friday, putting him in a tie for 35th with six other players with a two-day total of 146.
Suhre is 10 off the pace set by Kelly Grunewald, who posted back-to-back rounds of 68 en route to an eight-under par 136 at the midway point of the tournament. Grunewald, a Texas native, will take a two-stroke advantage into today’s third round over Bronson La Cassie, out of Queensland, Australia, who finished at six under par 138.
Starting Saturdays third round three strokes back of the lead will be Jeff Corr (Longwood, Fla.), finishing with a two-round total of five under par 139 while Todd Bailey (Spanish Fort, Ala.) posted four under par 140 and will start the day four strokes off the pace.
Joe Affrunti (Crystal Lake) and Michael Lavery (Mission Viejo, Calif.) each posted two day totals of three under par 141 and will share a tie for fifth, five strokes back of Grunewald.
A group of four golfers remain six strokes back after finishing with two under par 142 totals. This group includes Michael Daniels (Auburn, Ala.), David Gossett (Bee Cave, Texas), a former U.S. Amateur champion, Kyle Ellis (Senatobia, Miss.) and Luke List (Nashville, Tenn) who fired the low round of the day, a five under par 67, moving him from a tie for 62nd to a tie for seventh.
Other second round movers include a three under par 69 from Taylor Wood (Laguna Niguel, Calif.), who moved from a tie for 52nd to a tie for 12th, while current NGA Hooters tour money leader Ted Potter (Silver Springs, Fla.) carded a four under par 68 in his second effort to move him from a tie for 99th to inside the cutline at a tie for 42nd.
Unfortunately, Edwardsville golfers Scott Yancy III, Ken Highlander, Scott Hood and Brent Holmes joined Gwinup and Baugher, failing to better the five over par cutline and will miss the weekend.
Holmes had the best chance after carding an even par 72 Thursday. But he shot on 81 Friday to finish tied for 83rd place.
The third round will begin at 7:30 a.m. today with the leaders teeing off at 9:10 am.
