DeGrazia finishes strong, but no locals make Staal Foundation Open cut

OLVIER PAIPOONGE -- Evan DeGrazia said he learned a valuable lesson playing in his third Staal Foundation Open – you’ve got to go for it all the time.

DeGrazia rallied late on Friday with three birdies in his final five holes to score an even par 72 in his second round of the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada event.

But his two-day 150 total left him six shots over the mid-tournament cutline, meaning for a third straight year, no local golfers will survive to play the weekend at the Thunder Bay event.

The 21-year-old product of South Carolina’s Newberry College was the top local finisher, edging out former Canadian Tour pro Walter Keating Jr. by two strokes.

The roar of the gallery on 18 was the finishing touch of another incredible tournament, despite the fact he’s going home early, DeGrazia said.

“That was a little goal I had, just knock one close for the crowd. They were pretty supportive today,” said DeGrazia, who played alongside fellow Thunder Bay golfers Jeff Hunter and Robbie Untinen for a second straight day, about 40 spectators following them around Whitewater Golf Club.

“I started off pretty well. I stumbled late on my front nine, which kind of deflated my go at making the cut, but I finished great,” he said.

It was a tough go, said Hunter, also making his third start at the Staal Foundation Open.

He followed an opening-round 78 with a seven over 79 on Friday, his lone birdie coming on 15.

His round included six bogeys and a double.

The high score isn’t what he’ll take away from the week.

“It’s always a good experience. You’re competing against guys who are really good players and you kind of measure yourself against them. It’s frustrating and upsetting when it doesn’t go well, but it’s just a treat to play the course in the condition that it’s in and practice all week out here with these guys and meet them,” Hunter said.

Untinen, who led the local contingent after Day 1 with a 77, was five shots worse in Round 2, failing to birdie a single hole while counting a pair of double bogeys on his card.

Frustrating, sure, but not the end of the world.

“When you’re playing with these guys here you have to sharpen up your game and it goes to show I just need to get more consistent. I’ve had some time off and I’ve only played a minimum rounds of golf this year. It was a lot tougher than I thought it would be,” he said.

Thunder Bay’s Evan Littlefield, who went off on No. 10 in the final group of the day, was a better on Friday, besting the 81 he posted in his first round two strokes, a round included an eagle on the seventh hole, his 16th of the day. But it also included a nine on the par 5 12th.