CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLF ASSOCIATION

Andrews, who is set to compete on the final day of a State Am for the first time in his young career, had a rather subdued second round featuring two birdies and two bogeys. His first bogey of the day came at the par-4 second hole and was quickly neutralized by a birdie at the fourth. He played the subsequent seven holes to the tune of a septet of pars.

A bogey at the par-4 12th provided another minor speed bump for the 19-year-old, as he made his way to what ended up being the most meaningful stretch of play throughout his day. An up-and-down for par at the par-5 14th brought Andrews, who typically keeps his emotions within himself, to let out a hearty fist pump after his downhill, 10-foot putt found the bottom of the cup.

The momentum spurred a birdie on the ensuing hole to give him a share of the lead once again.

“On the front nine, I was leaving a couple of putts short, just right in the heart,” Andrews said. “I knew it was going to get going eventually, but to see that par putt drop, knowing I probably didn’t deserve it too much, and go on to birdie No. 15, it was really good for momentum.”

While it is his first time atop the Illinois State Amateur leaderboard, Andrews is in the midst of a rewarding stretch of play post-high school graduation. Leading into the week, he recently earned CCIW Newcomer of the Year recognition as a member of the nearby Illinois Wesleyan golf team and posted medalist honors at the CDGA Amateur Championship in June en route to a run to the Semifinal round.

“It has certainly been a breakthrough,” Andrews said. “I definitely thought I had been overlooked a little bit. In recruiting, I only had two offers coming out of high school, so, more than anything, I think it’s been proving to myself that I belong here and I can compete.”

A deep breath after a trio of pars ended the co-leader’s day.

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve been trying to do that throughout the rounds,” Andrews said of his exhale. “Just take a deep breath, step back, take it one shot at a time - that’s been my motto all week. Finally, there, I felt a little bit of relief, like, ‘We’re done, we can work toward tomorrow.’”

Joining Andrews in the final group is a State Amateur mainstay in Barger. The 23-year-old has a pair of top-three finishes on his resume across the last four playings of the event, including a second at neighboring Bloomington Country Club in 2023.

Barger, who began his second round on Crestwicke’s back nine, made one birdie, one bogey and seven pars to get his day underway. The bogey at the par-4 12th was just his second of the tournament.

Keeping up his consistent play, Barger birdied No. 1, his 10th hole of the day, before bogeys at Nos. 6 and 9 sandwiched a final birdie at the eighth to post an even-par 71.

“I’ve been hitting the ball great, driving it great, just putting is on and off,” Barger said after the round. “The greens are getting more firm, so you have to play a little smarter with your landing spots. I think today I hit it inside 15 feet all day long, just couldn’t make many putts. Overall, I’m happy with where I stand and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

“I think all five (bogeys) are three putts, so I just need to stick to my game plan, hitting fairways and hitting it close. Just play smart and birdies will come. I don’t think anyone is going to shoot 65 out here with how firm it is.”

A native of Bloomington, Barger is one of the competitors most familiar with the Lawrence Packard layout that Crestwicke boasts. Such familiarity has been advantageous for the co-leader thus far.

“I’ve been playing out here basically my whole life, so it’s knowing where to hit it and where not to hit it,” said Barger. “I actually haven’t played here in three or four months, I normally play here a dozen times in the summer, so it’s just great being back out here and being in front of my hometown people.”

This time, Barger hopes his local knowledge will have him hoisting the Louis L. Emmerson Trophy he’s been so close to capturing over the years, as well as a ticket to the U.S. Amateur via the exemption for winning the State Amateur.

Chasing closely behind the duo are Jeremy Chen (Evanston), Josh Kirkham (Naperville), Patrick Raupp (Arlington Heights) and John Wild (Glen Ellyn), who share a tie for third at -1. Kirkham, the leader after the opening round, followed up his 66 on Tuesday with a second-round 75.

Jackson Hulsey (St. Charles), a member of the reigning CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship-winning duo, is the only other golfer not over par, as rounds of 73 and 69 have him in seventh place at even.

In total, 40 competitors from the initial 138-player field made the cut at +5 or better.

Play is set to begin at 7 a.m. on Thursday, with the final pairing of Andrews and Barger teeing off at 8:30 a.m. The final tee time of the day is scheduled for 1 p.m.

QUOTES OF NOTE:

Ryan Andrews (Libertyville) on how the heat impacted the second round… “Today was a grind. It felt like I was out there for seven or eight hours today but, I mean, the heat is definitely a factor. I just tried to take it shot-by-shot and turned in a good round.”

Jeremy Chen (Evanston) on his familiarity with the tournament, field and course as a native of Taiwan… “Honestly, I'm not too familiar with the course. This was my first time playing it this week, and it's my first time playing in this championship, as well. It's a privilege to be here. I'm really excited to finally qualify for it this year. I'm not too familiar with anything, really, so I'm just keeping a pretty open mind and trying to go out there and play some golf.”

TJ Barger (Bloomington) on his consistent success in the State Am… “I just try not to pay attention to the leaderboard. I stick to the same game plan - don’t get too aggressive, don’t force anything out there. I just stay patient.”

Michael Jorski (Clarendon Hills) on his 10-shot improvement from round one… “Yeah, I mean, I just found a way. I really struggled off the tee yesterday and put myself in the trees a lot. I was able to make a few more putts today. It's nice when you're playing easy golf, just going fairway to green and rolling a few putts in.”

Josh Kirkham (Naperville) on his mindset after the second round… “Yeah, I kind of need to get out of the heat a little bit and think about it. It was one of those days where I just didn't have it. I managed myself pretty well around the golf course, and I definitely maximized my score today. I'll reassess. The heat was getting to me a little bit, and I'll be better prepared for tomorrow.”

Patrick Raupp (Arlington Heights) on his mindset going into the last day… “I’m excited. I’m getting more and more used to playing 36-hole days playing in college at Northern (Illinois), so I’m excited to do that again. I just need to hit it a little bit better than today and see what happens.”

Raupp on finishing birdie-birdie… “I just told myself, ‘I’ve been in this situation before,’ to calm myself down and do what I know I can do.”

John Wild (Glen Ellyn) on how winning the Oklahoma Match Play in June boosted his confidence… “Winning on any stage is huge. It gets you into that mindset, knowing you can get out there and get it done. That always helps, so I'm feeling good for tomorrow. Hopefully I can post another low one.”

NOTABLES:

• The scoring average for the second round Wednesday at Crestwicke was 76.12, down slightly from Tuesday’s average of 76.54.

• The field carded 15 rounds of even-par or better, two more than Tuesday.

• The field carded only two eagles on the day, none of which came on a par 5. The par-4 351-yard 14th netted two twos.

• None came on the 550-yard par-5 11th played as the easiest hole on the day with a scoring average of 4.90.

• The most difficult hole continued to be the 419-yard par-4 12th, on which the field averaged 4.70 strokes for the second consecutive round. Interestingly, the numbers of birdies (six) and scores of triple bogey or worse (seven) remained the exact same as well.

• The 36-hole cut fell at +5, with 40 competitors (low 35 and ties) advancing to Thursday’s 36-hole finale. Last year at Stonebridge Country Club, 38 players made it to Thursday with the cut line falling at +2.

• Former Illinois State Mid-Amateur champion Logan Stauffer (Bloomington) was the only of three Crestwicke Country Club members to make the cut. He sits T9 at +2.

• Brothers Alexander and John Creamean (Winnetka) shot matching 1-over 72s for the second-consecutive day.

• Michael Jorski (Clarendon Hills) bounced back from a 77 on Tuesday with a 4-under 67 on Wednesday, the best round of the day. The 16-year-old vaulted 57 spots to T9 on the leaderboard.