Wayne County Men's Amateur: Joyner, Jones fade; Nick Adams in the lead

By Cam Ellis
Published in Sports on July 12, 2015 1:52 AM

• Print
• Email

cellis@newsargus.com

Jeremy Joyner had a rough day.

The 2014 Wayne County Men's Amateur Open champion had just shot his second consecutive 76.

"I've been bad for two days," Joyner said. "I actually feel like I've hit the ball good, but the few shots I've hit bad have really cost me.

With winds whipping across the fairways all afternoon, Joyner was hardly the only one disappointed with high scores on an otherwise pleasant Saturday afternoon at Walnut Creek County Club.

"That's the nature of the beast," he added. "That's why we play the game we do."

Leading the pack on Saturday afternoon was Nick Adams, who shot a 2-under-par 70 for the second straight day. Adams heads into today with a two-stroke lead over Lionel Sutton.

Sutton, who was tied with Hayden Gardner for the lead after shooting a 69 on Friday, finished Saturday at 1-over-par 73. Gardner ballooned to a 79 and dropped into seventh place heading into today's final round at Goldsboro Municipal Golf Course.

Floars trails Sutton by two strokes after a 1-under 71. Dustin Smith fired a 2-over 74 and is one shot back of Floars. Chris Bitzenhofer carded a 73 and stands at 147 after 36 holes of play.

Stan Adams recorded a 7-under 65 and extended his lead to nine strokes over 2014 champion Jeff Jackson and Kenny Moore in Senior Division play. Jackson and Moore have shot 1-over 73 each of the past two days.

Former champion John Zambelli recorded his second straight under-par round, this time a 70, and carries an 11-shot lead over Roland Gurley into today's final round. A victory gives Zambelli a total of five WCMA crowns, which would break the record of four held by Jon Burke.

Super Senior Division leader Donald Shaver emerged as one of six golfers to end up under par with a 71. He enters today's round with a four-shot lead over Joe McLamb and five-shot advantage over Mickey Nance.

Reigning Masters champ William Jetton is a distant fourth at 155 along with Charlie Waters.

After two straight over-par rounds, going for his second straight Open Division title is seemingly out of the question for Joyner.

"Defending is something that is tough," he said. "You're now the person that everyone is going after. If I had played well, I could have been right there. It's just how it is -- in Wayne County, the top 10 or 12 golfers are all pretty close to each other."

The tough conditions were a dominant theme throughout the afternoon. The heat, which reached into the upper 90s, didn't seem as big a factor as the wind, which picked up intensity several times throughout the afternoon as storms moved through the surrounding areas.

"The wind was definitely tough," Jones said. "It was hurting you and helping you all in the same hole. Everyone was playing with it though, so you can't make any excuses."

"The heat was okay," Joyner added. "But the wind out here, plus with how thick the rough is, can play havoc. If you get it up into the wind and on the wrong side of the green, you're looking at a three-putt."

Even without the wind, many of the golfers considered Saturday's course at Walnut Creek to be the toughest of the three day tournament. All three of WCMA rounds are played on different courses -- something that tournament organizer Parker King is especially proud of.

"It incorporates everyone in it," King said. "It gets everybody in the community involved. We get all the different clubs, and they take a lot of pride in having their clubs showcased. We're lucky to have four golf clubs in this area as nice as what we have.

"I think this golf course may demand a few more shots," he said. "At Lane Tree, on most holes, you can really hit drivers. Goldsboro is short and tight where as here you have to be able to hit the driver with accuracy."