South Africa’s Christo Lamprecht picked up the Silver Medal for the leading amateur after being the only non-professional to make it through to the weekend.
The big-hitting Amateur champion actually had a share of the lead after the first day, opening up with a 66, but his Friday was a very different affair. There were seven birdies on Thursday but none on day two and he had to dig deep over the back nine to squeeze into the weekend.
The driver let him down as he missed fairway after fairway but five pars on the trot from the 13th meant that he could bogey the 18th and still make it through, which he did. In the end he signed for a 79 which left him on three over and just safe for two more rounds.
Otherwise Jose Luis Ballester Barrio added a 74 to sit on five over and that was the only threat to Lamprecht.
Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira of Argentina, the winner of the Latin America Amateur Championship in January, was playing in his third Major this week and he would finish on seven over after a much-improved 72.
“The experience was amazing. I think I keep learning a lot. I got off to a really bad start on Thursday and then after that it was all just a matter of grinding and trying to give myself birdie opportunities to bring it back to closer to the cut line.
“But it was a great experience. I keep learning what’s good for me, what’s not good for me, and hope to be back. Playing in all these Majors were a valuable experience and I know better what I need to be better. Just to tee it up against the best is where I want to be the next. The LAAC for us is huge, just being able to be here and be at the Masters and being at the US Open was amazing.”
Germany’s Tiger Christensen, one of the last players to complete his second round, shot 77-74 to finish on nine over.
Ireland’s Alex Maguire, a member of Laytown and Bettystown GC, was another who was unable to find a birdie, recording an 80, to turn a one-over aggregate into a blank weekend.
Finally, Harrison Crowe of Australia was another to shoot 80 to finish on +14.
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