Gavin has three-shot lead to start final day of Fischer
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JANESVILLE—Aaron Gavin picked up right where he left off.
He was one shot off the lead in one of the final groups off Riverside Golf Course on Friday night. On Saturday morning, Gavin turned in a sparkling 7-under 65 as one of the first players off the tee.
The South Milwaukee golfer will take a three-shot lead into the final 36 holes of the Ray Fischer State Medal Play Championship on Sunday.
“I just went out and tried to do the same things as yesterday but tried to make a few more putts,” Gavin said. “I made birdie on 1, so that was a nice surprise early on. I made a 12-footer.
“Then I picked out some spots and just tried to make good, solid shots.”
Gavin shot 33 on the front nine with his lone bogey of the day coming on the par-3 third hole. He used four birdies and five pars to shoot 32 on the back.
One day after not birdieing a single par 5, he birdied all four Saturday.
“I wasn't really thinking of a number (to shoot) in particular, just get the best out of each round,” Gavin said. “I was struggling with some stuff and was working on some things, hoping it would carry over from the range.”
Gavin holds a three-shot lead over Platteville's Josh Udelhofen, who followed up his first-round 68 with a tidy 67 to match playing partner Joey Levin for the lowest score of the afternoon wave Saturday.
Udelhofen, the WSGA's match-play champion in 2014 and the runner-up earlier this month, shot 31 on the front nine, where he finished his round.
Waukesha's Kevin Cahill fired his second straight round of 4-under 68 Saturday morning.
“Yesterday I hit it better but had two bogeys. Today I didn't hit it as well but saved myself from bogeys,” Cahill said. “I pretty much got everything I could out of my round today.”
Pewaukee's Kyle Driscoll followed up an opening-round 67 with a 2-under 70 and is five shots back. Waunakee's Zach Gaugert is fifth at 6-under 138. Aaron Rondon, a Janesville Parker graduate, is among a group tied at 5 under.
Gavin and Cahill are no stranger to being near the top of a leaderboard together.
Gavin won the Wisconsin State Golf Association's Mid-Amateur Championship in September. Gavin shot 3-under 141 over two rounds at Bishops Bay Country Club to beat Cahill by three strokes.
The Ray Fischer field was cut to the top 70 and ties after the first two rounds. Players will play 36 holes Sunday, and Gavin hopes his momentum carries over for one more day.
“It's just the same thing—come in, try to stay relaxed, hit some good shots and see what happens,” Gavin said. “Hopefully it adds up just how it has so far.”
No. 12 sees pair of aces
Janesville's Kevin Riley picked a fine time for his first career hole-in-one.
Riley used a wedge to ace the 108-yard par-3 12th hole.
“It landed about five feet past the hole and sucked right back in,” Riley said. “That was pretty sweet. I couldn't ask for a better place to have it, and to have it in a tournament was pretty cool.
“My caddie, Doug Whitescarver, did a good job of calming me down the next few holes.”
The hole-in-one came after a double bogey on No. 11, and Riley followed with a par and a birdie.
After a 75 on Friday, he shot even-par 72 to make the cut for the second time.
“It's my goal every year to make the cut and have fun,” Riley said. “And this makes me the third member of my family with a hole-in-one—my dad, grandpa and me.”
It wasn't the only ace on No. 12 Saturday.
Plymouth's Gene Kiela carded his second career hole-in-one during the morning wave. He followed up an opening-round 69 with a 75.