Georgia-native makes no bogeys en route to 63
Chris Epperson shot a bogey-free 9-under-par 63 on the Nicklaus Stadium Course at PGA West in La Quinta to build a four-stroke lead over Steve Saunders and Nathan Tyler after two rounds of Web.com Tour Qualifying School.
Epperson, a 31-year-old from Savannah, Ga., who captured the Vancouver Open earlier this year, has not made a bogey in the first 36 holes of the tournament, opening with a 65 that was the low round of the first day on the TPC Stadium Course.
“I know I can play golf like this,” said Epperson, who finished in the top 10 six times in nine events on the PGA Tour Canada last season, wound upeighth on the money list and led the circuit with a 69.32 scoring average.
Saunders, 26, who played college golf at New Mexico, carded a bogey-free 65 on the Nicklaus Course and has played his last 33 holes flawlessly after stumbling out of the gate with bogeys on two of his first four holes in round one.
Nathan Tyler, the 2007 Arizona Amateur champion who played at the University of Arizona, recorded his second consecutive 66, recording four birdies on the last six holes of the second round.
Andy Pope, who played at Xavier and claimed his first pro victory in an NGA Tour Bridgestone Winter Series event on Walt Disney World’s Lake Buena Vista Course last year, was five strokes back in fourth after a 65.
Chris Parra from SMU, who won three times on the Gateway Tour in 2009, was fifth after following his opening 66 with a 68.
Max Homa of Valencia, the 2013 NCAA individual champion for Cal who got his PGA Tour career off to a fast start in October when he tied for ninth in the Frys.com Open at CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin, shot 64 and was in a tie for seventh.
First-round leader Justin Shin of Canada, who opened with a 64 on the Nicklaus Course, did not find the Stadium Course quite as friendly, shooting a 74 and was tied for 25th.
The winner of the tournament receives a full exemption for the 2014 season on the tour, while all 152 players in the event receive some playing status for next year by virtue of making it to the finals.
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