Two tied for lead in Men’s category, Gutiérrez from Peru still in the lead in Women’s
On the second day of the 10th South American Amateur Championship round played at the Lima Golf Club, US player Scott Harvey and Brazilian player André Tourinho are tied in the lead in the Men’s category with a total of 136 strokes (-8) and overtake by three strokes Welsh player Jack Davidson, Canadian player Blair Hamilton and Argentineans Matías Simaski and Andrés Schonbaum. In the Women’s category, Peruvian Lucía Gutiérrez (title holder) is in the lead with 143 strokes (-1), followed by Mexican golfer María Fassi, Irish golfer Maria Dunne and Scot player Gemma Dryburgh (both with 147, +3).
Meanwhile, the best positioned Peruvian player is Patricio Alzamora in the 9th place after a round of 69 strokes with a total of 141 (-3). Once again, the performance of local player Andrés Cáceres is worth mentioning. He made 74 strokes (+2) and ranks in the 42nd place with a total of 150 (+6 for the championship). The youngster was invited to play in this tournament together with Hubert Nieto. Both players belong to the San Bartolo program, Golf for Everyone, sponsored by the Peruvian Golf Federation.
“Today I played a very good steadfast game and I only made two somewhat innocent mistakes. The bogeys at the16th and 17th holes were totally preventable, but the important thing is that I have played two very good rounds up to now. I have to keep on like this, making shot after shot to see what happens on the weekend,” said Scott Harvey, one of the members of the USA team, who are officially taking part for the first time in a Latin American tournament.
André Tourinho played a great round and managed to get to the top. “I played well with the putter and made very good shots. I am happy with the round I played. The course is in excellent conditions. That is why I was able to be more aggressive today and at the end, it turned out well for me. I have had very good vibes in the past few weeks and my short game has improved a lot. This is something I needed to be more complete due to the fact the long game is my strong point,” pointed out the 24-year-old Brazilian golfer.
On the other hand, Patricio Alzamora is in the Top 10 and he is the best positioned player of the host country. “I am playing on my turf and that makes me feel at ease. The wind is a key factor to keep in mind because the course is surrounded by buildings and we can expect whirlwinds. I have scored many birdies up to now; nonetheless, I made dumb mistakes. If I try to avoid these mistakes I know I can move up in the remaining two days of competition,” Alzamora stated.
The game today was complicated due to the wind and the flag positions. But many players were able to take advantage of this, as in the case of Argentinean golfer Andrés Schonbaum and US player Mike McCoy who played the best rounds of the day with 66 strokes (-6), sharing the best moment of the championship up to now with Scott Harvey.
Local golfer Lucía Gutiérrez had a unique day going to +4 (as a result of four bogeys) on the 9th, but was able to get right back up in the round with four birdies. “It was a round with ups and downs. But the good thing is I can still stay without worrying about the score or about what might happen. That’s what helped me. I think the position of the flags made things difficult for me and I wasn’t hitting well. But afterwards, the course was mine, I focused on hitting the fairways and greens, and I was able to finish well. Definitely, the mental game was key today and tomorrow I have to go out and focus only on my game”, said the 18-year-old golfer, a Lima native, who is defending the title she won in Barranquilla last year in great style.
On the other hand, 15-year-old Andrés Cáceres, from the San Bartolo golf school explained his great round: “I am very happy I made a better score today. It is the best in my career so far. I am also happy about the birdie I hit in the 18th hole after having made a double bogey in the 17th. I have played well during these last two days and I am meeting my objectives. I want to continue like this and I am very confident about the remaining two days,” emphasized Cáceres.