Turns out, college golfers aren't immune to the siren song of "potential." The Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational has itself a leader, Daniel Hayes, a sophomore who apparently decided Sunday was the day to actually play golf. He shot a 6-under 66, which, for those of us keeping score at home, is significantly better than his opening 2-over 74. Imagine that. Actually hitting the ball well.
Hayes now leads by one shot. He's up 25 spots from where he was. That’s what they call "making a move" in polite circles. For the rest of us, it's just showing up to the first tee with a pulse. He's tied for second in birdies. So, he can make them. The question is, can he keep doing it when people are watching and the pressure, whatever that means to a college kid, starts to build?
Chasing him is Max Herendeen, a senior who's been remarkably consistent. He’s the only guy to break par in both rounds. This is the kind of boring reliability that usually makes people nervous. He's ranked fifth nationally. He’s also done well here before. It’s almost as if playing the same course multiple times helps. Who knew.
Herendeen’s steady play is important for his team, Illinois, which is only three shots behind Arkansas for the lead. So, the kid might actually have to win something, not just post a decent score. The pressure, you see. It’s coming.
Then there's Finn Burkholder, a freshman who clearly got the memo about playing golf on Saturday. He tied for the lead after day one with a 4-under 68. Then, because this is golf and nothing is ever simple, he shot a 2-over 74 on Sunday. He’s now two shots back. Two shots. That’s like a missed five-footer and a three-putt. Standard.
Burkholder’s been shooting that 68 quite a bit lately. The freshman is learning his way around the leaderboard, and clearly knows how to get there. Now he just has to figure out how to stay there. The team competition is also tight. Arkansas leads, Illinois is second, and Ohio State, Tennessee, and Wake Forest are all tied for third. So, there’s that too. All of it, of course, culminating in tomorrow's final round. We'll see who collapses first.