Utah Championship: Molder takes command with
second straight 64
One for the Gipper: West High junior makes history by qualifying
to play on weekend
By Jay Drew
The Salt Lake Tribune
SANDY
- Forget about the fact that he's the youngest golfer in history
to make the cut at a Nationwide Tour event and the second-youngest
to make the cut at any PGA Tour event. Just as important to
Gipper Finau is that he now has bragging rights in his own
home.
For the time being, anyway.
Arguably matching the State Amateur championship that his brother,
Tony, won two months ago, 16-year-old West High junior Gipper
fired a 5-under-par 67 on Friday and made the cut at the Utah Championship.
At 4-under-par 140, Finau is tied for 41st place and will play
today and Sunday at Willow Creek Country Club with other golfers
who shot 140 or better as the field was trimmed from 156 to
61.
"I expected to be here," Finau said. "All us young
kids, we know we have the game to make some noise. It is just
a matter of getting comfortable out here."
At 16-under-par 128, former PGA Tour player Bryce Molder is
the leader by five shots.
It is the largest 36-hole lead on the tour this season. At
133 is Jeff Quinney, followed by four players at 134: last
week's winner Gavin Coles, Craig Lile, Scott Petersen and Kevin
Stadler, son of PGA Tour star Craig Stadler.
Molder's 36-hole total is just one above the tournament record
of 127, set by David Sutherland in 2001.
"You are not thinking of [shooting a] 64 when you go out there, but conditions
were great," Molder said. "You make a few birdies, and it turns into
a 64."
But Friday's focus was on Gipper - so named because when he
was young his sister could not pronounce his given name, Kelepi
- and his historic performance. His wild round included eight
birdies and three bogeys, after Thursday's round of six birdies,
a triple bogey, a double bogey and two bogeys.
"After this, yeah, it puts me up there with Tony," said Gipper, the
reigning state Class 4-A high school individual champion.
Tony Finau, also 16 (for two more weeks), rebounded from Thursday's
79 with a 72, but signed an incorrect scorecard (he reported
it himself upon discovering the error) and was disqualified.
Prior to Friday, the youngest golfer to make a cut since the
Nationwide Tour originated in 1990 was Sean Harlingten, who
was 16 years and nine months old in 2003 when he made the cut
at an event outside Los Angeles. The youngest to make a cut
at a PGA Tour event is Bob Panasik, who was 15 years and eight
months old in 1957 at the Canadian Open.
"Now I am going to go try to win this thing," Finau said.
That will be incredibly difficult, considering how the top
golfers have murdered Willow Creek this week, and don't figure
to back up much, if at all.
Molder's round was just like the one he posted Thursday to
become the 18-hole leader with Scott Parel. He made eight birdies
and didn't really come close to a bogey in running out to the
huge lead, one he said isn't really that significant.
"It is like being ahead after the first quarter in basketball," he
said. Molder has not won a golf tournament since college, where he was a four-time
All-American at Georgia Tech.
The only other Utahns to make the cut were Sandy's Steve Schneiter
and Todd Tanner. Schneiter shot a 66 Friday and is tied for
12th, while Tanner is tied for 61st at 140.
Finau said he started the day just wanting to get back to even
par. But once he birdied the first hole, his brother and caddy
Ben said, "Let's go get a 66."
Turns out, a 67 was good enough - at the course and at home.
drew@sltrib.com
EnergySolutions
* West High junior Gipper Finau, who just turned 16, became
the youngest golfer in history to make a cut at a Nationwide
Tour event.
* Bryce Molder is the second-round leader by five shots at
16-under-par 128 after shooting his second-straight 64.
* Sandy's Steve Schneiter (tied for 12th) and Todd Tanner (tied
for 41st).
Leaders
Bryce Molder -16
Jeff Quinney -11
Also
Gipper Finau -4
Article
Courtesy of The Salt Lake Tribune
