Gannon, Benton lead locals at Future Masters

David Gannon shot the low score of the day for the local entrants at 1-over-par 71, but he could hardly muster a smile after a double-bogey on his final hole for the second straight day.

“It’s just kind of frustrating,” Gannon said. “It would have been a little better coming in at 1-under, but that’s just golf.”

Gannon, who was a standout at Houston Academy, and Ryan Benton, a Providence Christian standout, lead 16 Wiregrass players in the 15-18 age division
after the second round of the 60th Annual Press Thornton Future Masters at the Dothan Country Club.

Gannon (73-71) and Benton (71-73) are both at 4-over par 144 after two rounds. Gannon will tee off at 8:12 this morning on No. 1, while Benton will follow in the
next group.

Gannon, who started his round on the back nine, said he had plenty of birdie opportunities but just couldn’t take advantage.

“I hit the ball well all day,” he said. “I had birdie putts on my first 13 holes and only had one birdie (No. 15).”

On his final nine, Gannon had a bogey on No. 6, but rebounded with a birdie on No. 7 to go back to 1-under.

On his final hole, No. 9, Gannon hit his tee shot way right into the rough.

“I thought it was going out of bounds,” Gannon said.

Gannon’s second shot was hit low under trees, coming to a stop in thick rough just short of the fairway. His third shot went on the green, but slid past the hole
and back off the green onto the fringe. His fourth shot rolled past the hole downhill before he two-putted.

Pin placements appeared to be tough on golfers Friday.

“At first, I wanted to say they weren’t because I had birdie chances,” Gannon said. “But once I got up there, I had a tough time reading them.”

Benton, also playing the front nine last, had back-to-back bogeys at 2 and 3, but then a nice birdie on No. 4 had him at 1-over. A double-bogey on No. 7
pushed him to 3-over.

Much like Gannon, Benton had plenty of birdie opportunities that just didn’t fall.

“I couldn’t make a putt to save my life,” Benton said. “I hit the ball great. I knew 73 would be probably the highest I would have been today.”

Even after the double-bogey, Benton was confident he could get back a shot over the final two holes.

“I thought I can make at least one (birdie) on the two holes,” he said. “I had a 12-footer that I left a couple of inches short (No. 8). On 9, I bombed the drive and
hit a sand wedge within 5 feet, but once again missed.

“It’s weird how you do everything almost perfect on the first nine, then it turns around. The pin placements were very tough today.”

New Brockton’s Steven Smith, after a first round 72, shot 75 on Friday.

He also had trouble dropping makeable birdie putts, especially on his final nine (front nine). Smith didn’t record a birdie during the round.

“I just wasn’t putting today,” Smith said. “I wasn’t getting up and down like yesterday. I wasn’t making any of those putts.”

Still, Smith is somewhat pleased with where he sits going into the final round.

“Yesterday’s (first) round helped me,” Smith said. “I knew if I had an up and down round, I’d be OK. I’m just going to practice my putting and try to play like I
really have this year.”

Ozark’s Cole Claassen shot a 4-over 74 on Friday, bettering his opening round 77.

“I hit my drives great again and my irons better,” Claassen said. “The putter was the only thing wrong. I had 34 putts and obviously that’s way too many.

“I’ve got it where there’s one thing (putter) wrong. Hopefully, I’ll get it all together.”