Ben Vertz, of Coral Springs, fired an opening round a 3-over par 75 on the Island course to trail the first round leader by five strokes. Vertz came out firing in the second round on the Copperhead course with a two-under par 33 on the front nine, which included two birdies and no bogeys. Vertz continued his solid play on the back nine carding a three-under par 33 for a round of 5-under par 66. Vertz’s two-round total of 141 puts him at 2-under par for the Championship. Vertz recently finished tied for fifth at the 93rd Florida State Amateur Championship at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge and currently is a member of the Nova Southeastern Golf team.
Three players are currently tied for second place trailing Vertz by two strokes heading into the final round. Kevin Aylwin, of New Smyrna Beach, is one of the players tied for second place after carding back to back rounds of even par on the difficult Copperhead and Island courses for a two round total of 143. Aylwin recently captured the 2010 Amateur Public Links Championship at PGA Golf Club. David Ladd, of Palm Beach Gardens and the Head Professional at Tequesta Country Club, is also tied for second place after firing a second round one-under par 71 on the Island course to currently sit at even par 143 for the championship. Jerry Tucker, of Stuart, and the Head Golf Professional at Trump International Golf Club is the final player tied for second place. Tucker carded an even par 71 on the Copperhead course in the second round to go along with his even par round of 72 on the Island course in the first round. First round leader Devin Hernandez, of Seminole, is currently in a tie for sixth place with a two round total of 145.
