The magic just continues for Brad Benjamin.
After slaying the par-5 7th hole with an albatross deuce from 251 yards out on Thursday, the Rockford, Illinois, product chipped in for birdie on hole No. 11 on Friday and went one better with a hole-out for eagle from 120 yards from under and through the trees on the par-4 16th.
It was all part of a round of 3-under 67 that, added to his opening 64, leaves the left-hander 鈥� who putts right-handed 鈥� at 9-under 131 after Day 2 of the Bayview Place Islands Savings Open presented by the sa国际传媒.
He鈥檚 tied for the lead with fellow left-hander Adam Cornelson of Langley (also 64-67) in the Mackenzie Tour event on PGA Tour sa国际传媒 at Uplands Golf Club.
They are a shot up on Vancouver鈥檚 Seann Harlingten (65-67), American Jeff Rein (64-68) and Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe (65-67).
鈥淚t鈥檚 crazy. Anybody will tell you to have success on any tour that you have to have a little bit of luck so hopefully I can keep it going. I鈥檓 not planning on holing out, but if I can keep hitting fairways and making putts I鈥檒l be in good shape,鈥� said Benjamin.
As a conditional status player on Mackenzie Tour, he will take any piece of luck he can get.
鈥淭he one on 16, I had a nice little gap through the trees. It was a tough shot, but I knew with the number [120 yards] I had that I could land it on the front with a good shot,鈥� he said describing the hole-out for eagle. 鈥淚 just got so lucky it went in again, just like yesterday.鈥�
Benjamin was in the right trees, under a limb and had to stripe it between two pine trees.
He also made a clutch par save on No. 18 where the pin placement was evil, toward the back third, just a couple of paces off the left side of the green that falls sharply.
鈥淚 knew I was going to leave it short,鈥� he said of his first putt from the front of the green that stopped seven feet shy. 鈥淚 knew it would be slow, but the last thing you want to do is run that putt by. The way the day was going, everything was going in, just like yesterday. Hopefully, I can keep it going.鈥�
He had it going with playing partner Rein, who was also 64 on Thursday and finished with a 68 Friday to sit a shot back.
鈥淲e all kind of got off shaky,鈥� said Rein, who made bogey at No. 1, but bounced back with three birdies on the day. 鈥淭he pins were a lot tougher today.
鈥淲hen you shoot a low round, the next day you鈥檙e usually not quite as sharp, so you have to fight through that. I took advantage of the opportunities I had.鈥�
Vincent, of Harare, Zimbabwe, followed up his opening 65 with a 67 on Friday.
鈥淚 think you have to be smart and pick your holes where you can be aggressive,鈥� he said of making his way around Uplands, which has showed plenty of support fan wise.
鈥淚 know the support all the Canadians get, not just the sa国际传媒 guys, is amazing,鈥� said Cornelson, who like Harlingten expressed his gratitude for the Victoria tournament the day before. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to the weekend and seeing the crowds.鈥�
Uplands assistant pro Ben Griffin鈥檚 second day started out well enough as he made the turn in 1-under after being one of the five co-leaders after Day 1 at 64.
Griffin made bogeys at Nos. 1 and 4 on his back nine and a double-bogey at the sixth and managed just a par at the par-5 7th hole which he double-eagled along with Benjamin on Thursday. It added up to a 3-over 73 to sit tied for 23rd at 137.
It was comfortably within the two-day cut of 1-under 139. He was the only local to survive the cut, however.
鈥淚鈥檓 just happy to be playing on the weekend. It鈥檚 the first cut that I鈥檝e made,鈥� said Griffin, who is playing in his fifth Mackenzie Tour event.
American Jonathan Khan rode a solid 6-under 64 on Friday to jump 61 spots into a tie for seventh after an opening even-par 70.
The lowest round of the day belonged to Edward Figueroa of Naples, Florida, who shot an 8-under 62, one off the course record, rolling in nine birdies.
A total of 65 players survived the cut.
