Nicholas, Shaheen, DeReese share lead with 18 holes left at City Championship
Published 2:39 pm Saturday, June 22, 2024
- Matt Nicholas hits out of a sand trap next to the 14th green during the first round of the 45th Lake Charles City Championship on Friday at Mallard Golf Club. Nicholas shares the lead with Hank Shaheen and Blake DeReese after 36 holes. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press)
Matt Nichols will attempt to do something that hasn’t happened in more than a decade at the Lake Charles City Championship on Sunday at Mallard Golf Club.
Nicholas can become the first back-to-back winner since Jacob Lejeune (2010, ’11) if he can separate himself from the two former champions (DeReese 2007, Shaheen 2022). Nicholas, Shaheen and DeReese are even-par after two rounds on the par-72 course.
Nicholas, a five-time champion, had three birdies on the front nine Saturday and made the turn at 2-under tied with DeReese and two shots ahead of Shaheen but double-bogeyed the par-3 No. 15 for the second consecutive day and shot his second even-par 72.
After both shot 1-under Friday, Shaheen and DeReese each shot 1-over 73 Saturday.
St. Louis Catholic sophomore Kye Hanks sits three shots back at 3-over and tied with Thad Gaspard. Hanks had a shot at joining the leaders after finishing the front nine 1-under for the tournament, but the final two holes caught up with him for the second consecutive day with back-to-back bogeys. He has played the par-4 17 and par-5 18 5-over through two rounds.
Gaspard and Jackson Wood had the best rounds on Saturday at 3-under 69 and made a huge jump in the standings. Gaspard shot up seven spots while Woods went from 12th to sixth at 4-over tied with seven-time champion Billy Gabbert one shot behind Gaspard and Hanks. After three bogeys on the front nine, Gaspard played the back nine 4-under with birdies on 12, 13, 14 and 17, while Wood was 4-under on the front nine.
45th Lake Charles City Championship
at Mallard Golf Club
Scores
Championship Flight
1, Hank Shaheen, 71-73—144.
1, Blake DeReese, 71-73—144.
1, Matt Nicholas, 72-72—144.
4, Kye Hanks, 72-75—147.
4, Thad Gaspard, 78-69—147.
6, Billy Gabbert, 76-72—148.
6, Jackson Wood, 79-69—148.
8, John Morrissey, 74-75—149.
9, George Trappey, 77-76—153.
10, Zachary Robertson, 77-77—154.
11, Jacob Lejeune, 75-80—155
11, Gage Primeaux, 76-79—155.
13, Dustin Bertrand, 83-73—156.
14, Skylar Petroski, 82-76—158.
15, Billy Dressler, 79-80—159.
16, Austin DeReese, 79-82—161.
16, Collin Jones, 82-79—161.
18, Scott Hones, 79-83—162.
18, Alex Augustine, 82-80—162.
