July 12, 2012 — Alexandria, LA – Shreveport’s Sam Burns shot a four-under par 68 on Thursday to stand at nine-under par 135 and lead Shane Fontenot of Lake Charles by four shots with 18 holes left to play in the 2012 Louisiana Golf Association Junior Amateur Championship. Burns and Fontenot were paired in the final group of the day on Thursday, alongside Evan Morse of Denham Springs who fired a 67 in Wednesday’s first round. Burns and Fontenot battled for the lead early in the day, with Fontenot taking the lead after a birdie on the par three 6th hole. Burns made the turn at one-over par for the day, and four-under for the Championship. That put him one shot behind Fontenot, who shot a 33 on the front nine, and was five-under for the Championship at the turn. The back nine proved to be a different story.
The fifteen year-old Burns made a par on the par four 10th, while Fontenot made a bogey, bringing them both to four-under par for the Championship. Both players made par on #11, then the lightning began to flash, and play was suspended for one hour and 40 minutes. When play resumed, Burns went on an incredible run and separated himself from the rest of the field. Burns birdied the par four 12th and made an eagle 3 on the par 5 13th. Meanwhile, Fontenot made par on 12 and double-bogey on 13. Fontenot would bounce back with birdies on the par 3 14th and the par 5 15th. He parred the final three holes, carding a 70 for the round, which put him at five-under 139 for the Championship. Birdies at #15 and #16 and two pars to finish the round capped off a back nine 31 for Burns and gave him a comfortable lead at nine-under par 135 for the Championship.
Evan Morse is at three-under par 141, six shots back of Burns. Nathan Jeansonne of Keithville carded the second lowest round of the day, a 69, and he is seven shots back at 142.
Rounding out the Top Ten through 36 holes are: T5. Ryan Alford of Shreveport (75/146), Grant Welch of Baton Rouge (73/146), T7. Jacob Going of Lake Charles (71/147), Blake Gautreaux of Prairieville (76/147), Cody Maxwell of Denham Springs (71/147), T10. Philip Barbaree of Shreveport (75/148), Devon Fontenot of Sulphur (72/148), and Thomas Ruli, Jr. of Mandeville (75/148).
Under-par scores on Thursday were shot by: Burns (68), Shane Fontenot (70), Jeansonne (69), Going (71), Maxwell (71), Corbin Cantrell of Benton (71), and Payton LaPietra of Monroe (71).
After second round play, the Overall Championship field was divided into three flights, with Burns leading the Championship at 135, five players leading the First Flight at 152, and three players atop the leaderboard in the Second Flight at 159.
Friday’s play will begin at 7:30 AM off both #1 and #10, with the leaders, Burns, Fontenot, and Morse, scheduled to go off #1 at 9:00 AM.
This year’s Championship is being played at Links on the Bayou in Alexandria. The Links on the Bayou course is playing to a par of 72 at approximately 6,750 yards for the Championship.
In addition to the Overall Junior Amateur Championship, the LGA also conducts Age-Group Championships, which completed play on Thursday.
Top three finishers in Age Group Championships are as follows:
Age Group 10-12:
Hayden White/Benton
150
Charlie Flynn/Alexandria
151
Ryan Fulton/Crowley
171
Age Group 13:
Nicklaus Daniel/Covington
151
Joel Boyett/Calhoun
156
Kristofer Kerr/Loranger
158
Age Group 14:
Drew Gonzales/Lafayette
144
Beau David/Lafayette
155
Stewart Perilloux/Zachary
166
Age Group 15-17:
Hunter Hale/Franklinton
161
Troy Leger/Mandeville
163
Bryan Saffell/Baton Rouge
194
