By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Colten Girgis didn’t feel his best at first, but he played the best on the temperamental back nine at Otis Park while surging to the lead during Sunday’s second round of the Bedford Men’s City Tournament.
Girgis fired a smooth 4-under 68, including three birdies on the final seven holes, to claim the frontrunner’s position at the midpoint of the summer classic. He completed 36 holes at 5-under 139, taking a two-stroke lead over Nick Bellush into the second weekend of the event.
Two other capable competitors also finished the first half of the tournament in red numbers, with defending champion Aaron Harrell and Trevin Hutchinson lurking three shots off the pace. But for the week-long pause between the second and third rounds, the spotlight will be on Girgis as he chases his first City championship.
Girgis, a talented left-hander who matched the City and competitive course record with a sensational 64 during last year’s third round, is a three-time Junior City champion and Bedford North Lawrence standout who just completed his collegiate career. His quest to add this title to his crowded trophy case got a huge boost with his eruption on the back nine. He carded a 3-under 32 on that side to set the stage for an explosive second weekend.
“I got things going with my wedges, kept the ball out in front of me and didn’t do anything too glamorous,” Girgis said. “It was doing things right and hitting good shots when I needed.”
His lone bogey came on the benign second hole. As his queasy health improved over the course of the round, so did his game. He birdied the ninth (the only player to tame that hole in the field), then lasered a wedge to the flagstick on the 12th (inches from an eagle). He followed that with birdies on 16 and 17.
In the same threesome as the leader, Bellush kept pace with a second-round 69, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 17th. The former Bloomington South star – technically an outsider, although his last name (the son of former BNL standout J.T. Bellush) and family pedigree trumps that – also had three birdies to offset a pair of back-nine bogeys and settle into contending position.
Hutchinson, the third member of that high-profile triumvirate atop the leaderboard, had five birdies (including three on the front nine) before slipping back with bogeys on 16 and 17. He posted a second-day 70.
Harrell, who owned the first-round lead after his 69, had five bogeys, but finished with a flourish with birdies on 17 and 18 to close with a 1-over 73 as he remained in the mix for his sixth City crown.
Harrell, one of only five men to win five times, went to the final hole to claim last year’s championship. Girgis was one of those who pushed him to that brink. He learned from that experience.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform,” Girgis said. “It was my first time in the City, and I was at the top of my game. I was a little nervous on the front nine last year. Now I don’t have any expectations. I’m out here having fun with people I know, so I’m a little more stress free this time.
”Anything can happen. Nick (an All-State star on two IHSAA state finalist teams with the Panthers, now a solid college player at Purdue Fort Wayne) is a great player. It’s only a matter of time before he lines everything up and goes low. Aaron is pretty consistent. I saw Trevin play some amazing rounds this week and his score doesn’t totally justify that. I expect him and a few others to go low, they can go lower than I can, they can put it together.
“I’m excited to see how it plays out. I’m not focused on the big picture, I’m more focused on what I can control.”
Sam Cobb lurks at even-par 144 after a second-round 73, while former champion Trey Turner posted a 75 for a two-round total of 146.
The field was divided into flights for the final two rounds. The cut for the Championship Flight came at 147. The final two rounds are set for July 19 and 20.
