WFGT 2014 SUMMER TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP: BRANDON LEE STILL LEADS

Ah, back at the West Florida Golf Tour's Summer Tour Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Sarasota. If you enjoy beautiful environments, you will be envious of the guys battling for the title on that titillating track! Since we didn't make it back up today for player photos, it's a great opportunity to share some of the beauty of the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club that Steph captured yesterday. Photos from final day will be available tomorrow. On to the golf...

First-round co-leader Brandon Lee of Fort Myers, Florida fired off five birdies on the front side, including four consecutive tweeters, to offset his one bogey on the opening nine. When he birdied No.10, it seemed as though he was poised to go low, having birdied six of his last seven holes.

But the birdie train screeched to a halt with bogeys on No.11 and No.12, but Lee steadied the ship and offset one of those bogeys with a bird on No.14 and held onto par on the way in for a 4-under round that kept him atop the leaderboard.

I hate to jinx him, but my pick for the event, David Branshaw of Tampa, Florida, did what he could to keep pace with Lee on the front side, picking up three feathery creatures of his own on holes four through six. Branshaw added three more birdies on the back side, but carded his only blemish in two rounds: a bogey on the par-3 16^th. His 5-under 67 was good for the second lowest round of the day, and enough to tie him for the lead with Lee at -9 going into tomorrow’s final round.

Doug Letson of Bradenton, Florida, he of the record-setting second round at Old Corkscrew last week, also notched four birdies on the front nine to keep pace with Lee, whom he trailed by four shots coming into Round 2.

Letson’s 4-under going out vaulted him up the leaderboard from 16^th to solo 5^th at the turn. Doug added two more birds on the back, had no missteps throughout the round, and carded his second 66 on Day 2 in consecutive events. That 6-under gem, again low round of the day and tournament, eased him into 4^th place, just two off the lead going into tomorrow.

The other first-round leader, Chase Marinell of Fort Myers didn’t quite keep pace with Lee and Letson on the front side, but he carded a -1 going out to share a piece of 3^rd place after nine with Kevin Roy of Tampa, who posted a 2-under front side. Marinell may not have matched his torrid first round 67, but his single-bogey, four-birdie 69 was good enough to keep him just one back of the leaders, in solo third. Marinell has already won multiple times on Tour this summer, so he is definitely one to watch coming down the back nine.

Kevin Roy of Tampa, Florida, whose first-round 68 had tied him with three others after Round 1, carded a 69 in Round 2, courtesy of five birdies and two bogeys. Roy had a clean card with four birdies through No.15 before finishing bogey, birdie, bogey. His 3-under round was enough to forge a tie for 4^th with Letson and keep him in the hunt for the title. He’ll be in the third-to-last group in the final round.

Order of Merit points-leader, Chris Kennedy of Bradenton, Florida climbed eights spots up the leaderboard, from 22^nd to a tie for 14^th, with a 2-under 70. Anything is possible, but coming from seven shots back to win with the quality of the field is a very, very long shot. Kenny Goodykoontz of Fort Myers Beach, Florida, second in the Summer Tour points-race, used his five-birdie, two-bogey performance to inch his way up the leaderboard from a tie for 8^th into 7^th alone.

Case Gard of Lakeland, Florida is moving quietly along in 6^th alone after a pair of 69s. If Gard maintains this level of consistency tomorrow, he could have his highest finish of the season. Gard should have a good example to follow tomorrow as he’ll be paired with Letson.

Sam Chavez of Bradenton, has been nothing if not consistent, carding his second 2-under round of the event, carding three birdies and one bogey for the second consecutive day. Sam maintained his 8^th-place position going into the final round. Chavez is coming off a second-place finish in the Southwest Florida Open at Old Corkscrew last week, and is poised for his second consecutive Top-10 finish. [Note: Sam is my sentimental favorite since he has the chutzpah to play with a yellow ball! How ya like that Mike Curran- wink?]

Order of Merit contenders Hampton Ballard (4^th) of Bradenton, Florida, Logan Blondell (7^th) and Brad Klapprott (8^th), both of Lakeland, Florida all posted better rounds today and moved incrementally up the leaderboard. Ballard made the strongest move with a 69, and is now tied with Klapprott (-2) for 12^th.  Blondell shot 1-under today and climbed from a tie for 22^nd with Ballard into a tie for 18^th.  

Fort Myers locals, Aaron Sherry (28^th), Tyler Merkel (24^th), and Jeremy Wells (32^nd) all slipped down the leaderboard, but all made the cut and will have one more day to earn a check to cover expenses. Steph and I will be heading up to the event tomorrow for the final

day, and I’m looking forward to it almost as much as though I were playing the event myself! How can it not be thrilling when at least three of the top five going into tomorrow have already won this season, two of them (Marinell and Letson) multiple times. Yeah, tomorrow will be a blast! Stay tuned….