Traverse City Record-Eagle

Sports

June 13, 2012

Hutchison slips out of Michigan Open lead

Houtteman, Mahoney 11th at Michigan Open

From staff reports ----

WASHINGTON, Mich. — Traverse City's Randy Hutchison slipped to sixth place Tuesday at the Michigan Open with a second-round 72.

The even-par round left him at 6-under, seven shots behind Kalamazoo's Barrett Kelpin, who shot a 63 to surge into the lead that Hutchison held the day before.

In only his second round as a professional golfer, Kelpin shot a course-record tying 9-under-par 63 at The Orchards Golf Club.

Kelpin, 22, who recently graduated from the University of Iowa where he was an All-Big Ten performer, coupled his round with a first-round 68 for a 13-under-par 131 total at the halfway point of the state championship.

His 63 tied the record set here by Ryan Lenahan in the final round of the 2011 Michigan Open, but he still had just a one-shot lead on Grosse Ile's Jeff Cuzzort, a Nationwide Tour player, who shot a 64 for a 132 total.

Willie Mack III of Flint and Brian Ottenweller of Grand Rapids, a pair of mini-tour players, were tied at 136, five shots off the lead. Mack III, last year's Michigan Amateur champion, shot a second consecutive 68 and Ottenweller, a former University of Michigan golfer, double-bogeyed his final hole of the day with fairway bunker troubles for a 69.

Hutchison shot 36 on both the front and back nine, but finished with bogeys on two of his last four holes.

The Grand Traverse Resort's Lee Houtteman moved up to 11th in the field, tied with Thompsonville's Korey Mahoney at 3-under. The Resort's Scott Hebert sits in 15th at 2-under.

The 36-hole cut fell at 5-over-par 149. A field of 71 golfers will play two more rounds today and Thursday.

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