PITTSFORD, NY (July 25, 2024)-  On a sunny Thursday with wind playing a factor at the 83rd Monroe Invitational, Ashton McCulloch (Michigan State) and Kaleb Wilson (West Virginia) rose to the top of the leaderboard at -5 for the tournament. McCulloch finished his round at lunch time with the low round of the day at a 65, while Wilson followed up his round 1 score of 67 with a 68 to move to -5. 

Drew Doyle (LSU) put together a solid round of 67 to move to -4 for the invitational and is currently in a tie for third place with Justin Matthews (University of North Carolina at Charlotte).

First Round leader Jeffrey Zatorski (Texas) shot a 73 on Thursday and is now -3 for the tournament in a tie for fifth place. William Duqette (Kansas), Will Morlan (Furman), and Vincente Marzilio (Texas Tech) are the other players at -3 overall.

19 players remain under par for the tournament compared to 30 players after round one action.

Round 2 Photos l Round 2 Scores

McCulloch went from a first round with four birdies and four bogeys for an even par 70 on Wednesday, to playing bogey-free golf and draining five birdies to move up 30 spots into the lead. The 140th-ranked player according to WAGR had birdies on the par-4 2nd and 4th holes, along with the par-3 8th to go out in 32 and added two more birdies on the back.

Said McColluch, “I was swinging it really bad yesterday, which isn’t my normal.” “Today I just tried to make it work — hit it short and straight and curve it a lot to better control where it was going.”

Earlier this year the Canadian qualified for the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst by shooting an 8-under at the local qualifier in Niagara Falls. McCulloch narrowly missed the cut at the US Open but relished reminiscing about the experience in his post round interview. When asked about the highlight of playing in the major championship, McCulloch said, “It was being around the cut line – I was one shot out with three holes to go – I knew I had to make a move.” “Having that feeling that I nearly made a cut at the US Open was pretty cool.”

The rising senior at Michigan State is making his first appearance at the Monroe Invitational and is a big fan of the entire Monroe Invitational experience. “It’s a shame I haven’t come earlier (to the Monroe Invitational) being that I am heading into my last year of amateur golf.” McCulloch still has the Canadian and US Amateur tournaments before beginning his final season as a Spartan.

Tied with McCulloch is Wilson who had four birdies and two bogies on the day. After the round, Wilson said, “The wind definitely played a factor today.” “I would say the course was a little more difficult today just because of some of the shots you needed to hit around the golf course. The greens are perfect right now, so it’s really just about prioritizing giving yourself birdie putts.”

The soon-to-be junior at West Virginia most recently took sixth place at the Tennessee State Amateur last week.

The top-ranked player in the field, Andrew Goodman (Oklahoma) is tied for 13th place at -1.

Third round action for the 83rd Monroe Invitational will kick off at 7:20 a.m. on Friday. Following round 3, there will be a cut with the top 45 players including ties. Admission is free to the public.