The 2019 Jamaica Open Golf Championship winner Patrick Cover of the USA was solidly at the top of the leaderboard at the end of the second day of the 55th Jamaica Open at the Tryall Golf Club in Sandy Bay, Hanover.
Cover was having a very good second day up to the 16th hole when he was six under par but posted his first bogey of the championship and it was massive – a triple bogey starting with an out of bounds shot. That plus his six birdies gives him a 11 under par 133 and a lead of seven shots over defending champion Michael Maguire who was on four under par 140 after two rounds.
Cover still thinks he has a change of winning the championship this year. “I am just gona try to play a good round of golf. I think I have a pretty good lead. I am just gonna try to keep it in play and keep making puts. I have been doing great. I had a hiccup on seventeen. I hit it out of play, that my first penalty shot. This course can do that to you, there is a lot of penalties around there, a lot of water, a lot of out of bounds so u just gotta keep it straight and make puts and keep it in good shot and that’s what I am gonna try to do.”
Jamaica’s top pro Wesley Brown who was joint third with at the end of the first day with Maguire on three under par, had a round day on the course to close the day two at joint fifteen after posting five over par 77 and is now on two par 146 or 13 shots off the lead.
He is looking for a very final day to make it into the top ten pros. “That’s what I am planning to do at this point. Maybe I can backdoor a top six, a top eight depending on how far I am from that score. Hopefully I can really shoot something really low and keep it through the back nine.”
On the amateur side Jamaica’s Justin Burrowes is now the sole leader in the category. He leads Zandre Roye by four shots after posting 146 over the two days. Burrowes scored four over par 76 on day one and two under par 70 on day two. Roye who was the day one amateur joint leader scored 76 and two over pay 74 on day one and two respectively for a total score of 150.
Burrowes hopes that he can hold onto the lead on the final day. “I am just gonna go another committed round tomorrow Tuesday) really and see if I can improve on today again.”
The top three players in the Senior Professionals were Michael Moniz – 165 (74, 80) and Proia Luiz, both of Canada – 166 85, 81) and Rick Burk of the USA on – 167 (83, 84)
The other section, the Senior Amateurs are all Jamaicans led by Owen Samuda – 160 (76, 84), Dr. Mark Newnhan – 161 (80, 81) and William Lee – 163 (82, 81).
Day 2 was the best in terms of conditions for golf – sunny skies and gentle breeze where as on day one there was a heavy downpour which stopped play for forty minutes.
Tee time on Tuesday’s final day second starts at 7:00 am.