Darkness Suspends Second Round of MGA Senior Amateur; Wilcox Remains on Top

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By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
 
 
  STILLWATER, Minn. – As an airhorn suspended play due to darkness during the second round of the 98^th Minnesota Golf Association Senior Amateur Championship at StoneRidge Golf Club Wednesday, first-round leader Trent Wilcox rolled in his par putt on the final hole to card a round of 73, giving him sole possesion of the clubhouse lead at 1-under 143.
 
David Haslerud, who claimed the 2017 championship at Island View Golf Club, is currently tied for the lead at 1-under for the championship, but will have to finish six holes of the second round when play resumes early Thursday.
 
Inclement weather delayed the start of the second round by an hour and a half Wednesday before tournament and course officials allowed play to begin.
 
Playing his first 12 holes in 3-under during his second round Wednesday, Wilcox appeared to be pulling away from the field in search of his first state victory before finding trouble on the putting surface late in the round, as he would play his final six holes in 4-over.
 
“I hit the ball pretty well all day, but it was just hard to judge the wind,” Wilcox said following his second round Wednesday. “The double-bogey I had, I thought I hit it perfectly. That wind is tricky because if you get down below, you can’t feel the wind.  
 
“I had trouble reading those greens coming in. I’d like to say it was because of the darkness, but it was my lack of reading ability. I was 5-under at one point and started misreading greens and over-clubbed [No. 12].”
 
Rolling in back-to-back birdie putts from inside six feet to begin his second round Wednesday, Wilcox quickly jumped to 4-under for the championship before taking bogey at the par-4 sixth. He bounced back by sticking his second at the par-5 12^th to four feet, converting his eagle putt to take a sizeable lead at 5-under for the tournament.
 
Sailing a 5-iron over the par-4 12^th led to double-bogey for Wilcox, dropping him to 3-under before his putting woes began at the 14^th, taking back-to-back three-putt bogeys and he would finish the day with a round of 73.
 
Wilcox, a 55-year-old Park Rapids, Minn., native, who grew up playing at Headwaters Country Club, decided to play more competitive golf in recent years after moving back from the Phoenix area in 2011.
 
“The last few years I figured that I need to play more tournaments,” Wilcox said. “Last year didn’t quite pan out and now this year I’ll probably play 15 rounds, which is a record for me over the past 15 years. But I’d like to start playing in more tournaments.”
 
Wilcox played both basketball and golf at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa before transferring to Mankato State University for his final two seasons. After college he bounced around on mini tours as professional before regaining his amateur status in 2005. Playing in multiple Pine to Palm and Birchmont championships, Wilcox claimed he was a “perennial quarterfinalist.”
 
Now with 36 holes behind him, Wilcox is closing in on his first state victory, but his attitude hasn’t wavered the slightest bit since his opening tee shot Tuesday morning.
 
“I’m just going out and try to play relaxed and enjoy it. I don’t think too far ahead and just want to try to be as level as I can—like it’s a practice round with my buddies.”
 
The second round of the 98^th MGA Senior Amateur Championship will resume at 7:30 a.m. Thursday at StoneRidge Golf Club. The field will then be cut to the top-48 players, plus ties, before the final round begins at approximately 10 a.m.