Sellers Takes Three-Stroke Lead into Final Round of 106th New Jersey Open Championship
MORRISTOWN, N.J. – Rhett Sellers continued to set the pace at the 106th New Jersey Open Championship, presented by Donnelly Industries, maintaining his lead through 36 holes Wednesday at Morris County Golf Club.
After opening the championship with a 5-under par 65 on Tuesday, the Plainfield Country Club assistant professional backed it up with an even-par 70 in the second round to reach 5-under par overall, taking a three-stroke lead into Thursday's final round.
Play resumed at 8 a.m. Wednesday after dangerous weather suspended Tuesday's opening round. While half of the field returned to complete the first round before immediately beginning the second, the final groups in the afternoon battled fading daylight before completing the second round just before darkness fell.
Sellers got off to a slow start, carding two bogeys on his opening nine before finding his rhythm. He birdied No. 14 to steady the round and carried that momentum through the turn, opening his back nine with a par before birdieing the 527-yard, par-5 second hole. Another birdie on No. 5 moved him to 1-under for the day before a closing bogey brought him back to even par. The steady round was enough to maintain his three-stroke advantage entering the championship round.
"The wind was up today and it definitely dried the place out and made it a little firmer than yesterday," Sellers said. "I just stuck to my game plan — fairways, greens and giving myself as many birdie looks as possible. I had to grind out a few there, but it was a good finish. I kept my mind steady all day, and I'll try to do the same thing tomorrow."
Sellers, who has recorded top-10 finishes in each of the past two New Jersey Open Championships, believes staying committed to that same formula will be the key to capturing his first title.
"If you put it in play off the tee, this course is very gettable," Sellers said. "There are a lot of wedges into holes you can attack. I think I'm driving the ball really well, so if I just keep doing that, hopefully it all works out tomorrow."
Danny Harcourt made the biggest move of the day on the leaderboard. After opening with a 1-over par 71, Harcourt responded with a 3-under par 67 in the second round, carding four birdies and an eagle against three bogeys. The Director of Instruction at Fiddler's Elbow vaulted into solo second at 2-under par, three shots behind Sellers.
"It was a fun day. We had a really good group, so that helped a bunch," Harcourt said. "We got kind of rushed over to No. 10 and thrown right back into it, but I hit a really good 8-iron into No. 11 and made eagle. Then I had another couple of really good iron shots after that. That stretch gave me some more energy because I was starting to get a little tired from the morning round."
The strong finish only reinforced the confidence Harcourt has built throughout the season.
"I feel like it's just getting more and more solid and reliable as I go out and play each season," Harcourt said. "Hopefully it's more of the same tomorrow. Just trying to hit it solid in the wind, play smart, and keep my speed good on the greens."
Alex Yong and Dylan Gallagher sit atop the amateur leaderboard through 36 holes at 1-under par.
Gallagher matched Sellers' opening-round 5-under par 65 before making a quick turnaround for his second round. Starting on No. 10, he bogeyed Nos. 15, 16 and 17 to make the turn at 3-under overall. He answered with a birdie on No. 1 but added three more bogeys on the inward nine to sign for a 4-over par 74.
The top 40 players and ties advanced to Thursday's final round, where the champion will hoist the C.W. Badenhausen Championship Trophy. Final round play will begin at 7 a.m. off No. 1.
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