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Reigning South Florida PGA Player of the Year Alan Morin Takes Lead at 2021 Senior PGA Championship
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Gusty crosswinds wreaked havoc at the PGA Golf Club, but South Florida PGA Professional Alan Morin managed to navigate the conditions as well as anyone Friday. Morin, from Royal Palm Beach, shot 5-under 66 at the Ryder Course to move to the top of the leaderboard in the second round of the 2021 Senior PGA Professional Championship.
Morin, the reigning South Florida PGA Player of the Year in both the regular and senior divisions, used his familiarity of the Ryder Course for another solid round after he shot a 4-under 68 one day earlier on the Wanamaker Course. He is 9 under for the Championship heading into the final two rounds.
“It was a little tougher in the afternoon,” said Morin, who teed off at 2:20 p.m. (ET). “The wind was really kicking for our whole round. It was blowing pretty good for really the whole back nine and when we made the turn. It seemed to start dying down when we got on [hole] 4 as it got later in the afternoon. It played tough, a lot of crosswinds. It was just a survival test."
Chad Proehl (Urbandale, Iowa) dropped one shot back after shooting 1-under 71 on the Wanamaker Course in his second round. Proehl is 8 under and has sole possession of second place.
Rob Labritz (Pound Ridge, New York) made one of the biggest moves, jumping 14 spots into a three-way tie for third place. Labritz’s 67 was the lowest round on the Wanamaker Course on Friday. He entered the day tied for 17th after shooting 2-under 69 on the Ryder Course in the first round.
“Yesterday, I kind of managed my way around the golf course,” Labritz said. “I wasn’t hitting it great. I worked some things out after the round with one of my buddies Karl Alexander, and I saw Bill Davis, one of my coaches. We kind of worked some things out. Then came out today and hit it pretty solid. I missed maybe just one green. It was a good solid ball striking round.”
Mark Mielke (Atlantis, Florida) and Mike Small (Champaign, Illinois) are tied with Labritz for third. Both fired 68s on the Ryder Course and are 7 under for the Championship.
Steve Stone (Moumee, Ohio) matched Morin for the low round with a 5-under 66 on the Ryder Course. Stone’s success on the back nine, where he birdied four of the last six holes, helped him move into the top 20, finishing his day tied for 15th after starting tied for 134th.
The third round gets under way Saturday morning with groups teeing off on the Wanamaker course. A cut to the low 90 scorers and ties was made after the second round. Following Saturday’s round, a second cut will be made to the low 70 scorers and ties.
In addition to the Leo Fraser Trophy, named after the 16th president of the PGA of America, players are competing for a $318,000 purse including the winner’s share of $26,000.
PGA Golf Club ー the PGA of America’s premier 54-hole facility ー hosts multiple PGA Member championships annually, such as the National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship, Senior PGA Professional Championship (biennially) and the PGA's Tournament Series and Winter Championships.