It was a grind it out soggy day for the Landon Fox of the Barton Community College men's golf team in the second day of competition at the 2015 NJCAA Division I Men's National Championship at Sand Creek Station in Newton, Kansas. Teeing off in the afternoon on the back nine, Fox carded a pair of 40's for a +8 80 moving up one spot to 69th place.
Fox began Wednesday's round on the 10th hole "The Beast" with a bad tee shot leading to bogey. Running into bunker trouble on eleven resulting in another bogey, Fox parred the twelfth before adding two more bogeys on thirteen and fourteen. With a hard light rain and wind starting to kick up, signs of turning things around came with a par on the fifteenth followed by a bomb off the sixteenth box setting up a reachable second shot to the par 5 sixteenth. Putting his approach on the top shelf of the back pin location, Fox's eagle attempt slid lowside resulting in a tap-in for birdie. Missing the green on the seventeenth, Fox's solid short game came through as it had all tourney running a chip from the loft finding the center of the cup. Feeling a shift of momentum, the driver reared it's ugly head on going out of bounds as the golf gods took two strokes from the card as Fox closed the first nine with a +4 40.
As the rains continued Fox parred the first hole but an approach wide of the second green led to a chip on and two putt for bogey. Parring the next three holes, the rains came down heavily affecting play and soaking the golfers. Bogeying the sixth, a short tee shot on the par 3 seventh allowed Fox to displaying the short game sticking the chip within two feet of the hole for an easy par. Going to the 3-wood off the box in driving rain, Fox's drive had a thirst for more water as it leaked right into the pond bordering the eight fairway resulting in a double-bogey. Finishing the round strong, Fox came back with a solid drive along the left side ninth fairway then perfectly struck a long approach through the wind and rain to fifteen feet from the cup. Just missing the birdie putt, Fox tapped in to close out his round with another 40.
With little time to rest, Fox heads back to the course on Thursday's third round beginning at 7:30 a.m.
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