Mid-Amateur Championship

August 7, 2004

Gray Plantation

Info
- Tournament Info
Results

Round 2 Recap

PRESS RELEASE
For Release: Upon Receipt Contact: Carr McCalla

BEN HARGIS SHOOTS 5-UNDER 67 TO TAKE LEAD AFTER 36 HOLES AT LOUISIANA GOLF ASSOCIATION MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Lake Charles, Louisiana August 7, 2004

Ben Hargis of Alexandria bogeyed the first hole on Saturday, then played the last 17 in 6-under par to shoot 67 and take a one shot lead into final round play in the 2004 Louisiana Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship at Gray Plantation in Lake Charles. Hargis, who shot a bogey-free 69 on Friday, has had only one bogey in 36 holes and leads Kenley Jones of New Iberia by one and Shreveport?s John Carr by three. He stands at 8-under par 136. After his first hole bogey on Saturday, Hargis came right back with a birdie on #2, then reeled off birdies on #5, #7, #10, #14, and the extremely difficult 470-yard par 4 18th hole to complete the best round of the Championship to this point.

Jones fired nines of 33/35, making 4 birdies and no bogeys and is at 7-under 137, while Carr shot 4-under 32 on his front nine, making his only bogey of the day on the par 3 13th to play the back in even par and enter final round play at 5-under 139.

Rounding out the top ten after 36 holes are: Jeff Calloway of Baker, 69-71/140; Bill Land of Lafayette, 71-70/141; Rick Brinker of Bossier City, 73-69/142; Billy Gabbert of Sulphur, 71-71/142; first round leader Eddie Lyons of Shreveport, 68-74/142; 2002 Champion Grady Brame of Hammond, 71-72/143; defending champion John Davis of Lafayette, 70-73/143; Scott Freeland of Baton Rouge, 71-72/143; and Robert Shelton of Lafayette, 72-71/143.

Other under par scores on Saturday included: Darrell Benoit, Belle Chasse (70); Matthew Nicholas, Westlake (70); and Ben Thibeaux, Lafayette (71).

This year?s Championship is being played at Gray Plantation, a Rocky Roquemorre design that is a charter course of Louisiana?s Audubon Golf Trail. Gray Plantation has just recently again been named as the #2 ranked course in Louisiana by Golf Digest and continues to draw great reviews from this field of the best 25 and older players in Louisiana. It played to a par of 72 at just over 7,000 yards on Saturday. The day?s play was conducted under gorgeous skies with low humidity, a wonderful change from the typical August weather in Louisiana.

The field was cut to the low 60 players and ties after Saturday?s play, with 64 players making the cut at 11 over par 155. Sunday?s play is scheduled to begin at 7:30 AM, off #1 tee, with the leaders scheduled to go off at 10:39 AM. The top 40 finishers and ties will be exempt into the 2005 Championship

All scores to follow and Sunday pairings to follow:

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Louisiana Golf Association