After 36 holes, Tyler Merkel, Jamie Broce and John DalCorobbo share a two-shot lead at the State Open at 138. “I have been getting off to really good starts,” said Merkel. “But I need to keep trying to go lower instead of putting it on cruise control.” But DalCorobbo’s day didn’t get off to such a great start Tuesday, when he woke up in pain. “It was great to have a late tee time today,” he explained. His hips were bothering him in the morning, but he put that aside to shoot the lowest round of the tournament so far – 68. “This course is fun to play. It really suits my eye. It rewards accuracy and control and those are two things I have in my game,” said DalCorobbo.
All three players have experience leading events and vying for major championships, and all seem confident in their ability to contend over the next two rounds. “I finished in the top 10 in every Michigan Open that I played in,” said DalCorobbo, who has also won the Indiana Professional Championship and Indianapolis Open. He added, “I lost in a playoff once [in Michigan], so this would be tremendous to win.” Merkel, a collegiate player at Ball State, has also led his fair share of events. “I have been in contention a lot. Shooting two rounds in the 60’s certainly gives you momentum. I’m in a good spot, but I need to go make birdies,” he said. And Broce is a two-time, back-to-back Open champion and was the 2010 runner-up. He has enough professional experience to handle the pressure of having the lead.
The third round of the championship will begin at 10:00am on Wednesday off of both #1 and #10 tees. The cut will be made Wednesday morning at the official completion of the second round, and then players will be repaired. The cut is projected to be at 153.
See current standings here.