NORTHFIELD, Ill. — Playing in the 2018 Western Amateur in Northfield, Illinois, Spencer Ralston made a move on Wednesday, firing a 5-under 66 to move into first atop the leaderboard at 13-under after 36 holes at Sunset Ridge Country Club.
Ralston had been the co-leader coming into the day and is gunning to make the cut for match play -- which will occur after another 36 holes on Thursday when 16 players make a second cut.
Despite hitting just one fairway, Ralston, a Gainesville High graduate and currently a junior at the University of Georgia, still racked up birdies. The charge was due in large part to his work on the greens, as he dropped in eight birdie putts -- including three in a row on his second nine -- to yield a two-stroke lead.
“I made a ton of putts,” Ralston told the Western Golf Association. “That can make up for a lot. I’m really confident in my putter right now.”
Collin Morikawa, of La Canada Flintridge, California, and Sam Stevens, of Wichita, Kansas, both are tied for second at 11-under. Morikawa tied the low round of the tournament with a bogey-free 63. Stevens shot 66.
A senior at Cal and No. 2 in the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking, Morikawa is playing in his fifth Western Amateur and looking for his first trip to the Sweet 16. His best finish came last year when he tied for 23rd at Skokie Country Club in Glencoe, Illinois.
Isaiah Salinda, of South San Francisco, California, and John Augenstein, of Owensboro, Kentucky, are tied for fourth. Augenstein, a junior at Vanderbilt, is the No. 3-ranked player in the world, while Salinda, a Stanford senior, won the Pacific Coast Amateur last week at Olympic Club in San Francisco, California.
Ralston missed the 36-hole cut in his first appearance at the tournament last year. While he’s 36 holes away from qualifying for match play, Ralston believes he has the game to compete when the format switches Friday.
“I know I’m a grinder, and that’s a good quality to have,” Ralston said.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2018/8/698147/ralston-surges-into-lead-at-2018-western-amateur