Corporon off to strong start in defense of Tri-State Masters title
Leads Donaldson, Burks by shot
By Barry Poe Journal sports writer | Posted: Saturday, May 05, 2007
As defending champion of the Tri-State Masters, Ayron Corporon earned the right to select the lunch menu for Sunday's final round at Green Valley Golf Course.
That, of course, is a tradition each year at The Masters in Augusta, Ga., with the champion picking the menu for the "Champions Dinner."
For the record, Corporon decided on chicken wings and thighs from "Sneaky's," a popular Sioux City eatery, along with fruit salad and green beens. If he keeps playing the way he did during Friday's first round, he'll have to come up with something new for next year's menu.
Corporon fired a 3-under-par 67 at Two Rivers Golf Club, taking a one-shot lead over Jeff Donaldson and Pat Burks. Steve Kruger is another two shots behind after matching par with 70.
Play was pushed back a couple of hours because of rain, but once things got under way, Corporon picked up where he left off last year. Corporon defeated Dan Freed in a two-hole playoff a year ago.
"That's a pretty cool deal getting to pick the menu," said Corporon, who got off to a fast start with birdies on the first two holes. "It makes you feel pretty good when you're the defending champion and they try to cater everything to you.
"I had a game plan today to try and keep it in play and that worked out pretty well."
The tournament, contested on three different courses in three different states, shifts to Covington Links in South Sioux City for today's second round. The low third of the field will make the championship flight for Sunday's final round at Sioux City's Green Valley.
"I'll use the same strategy today, hitting 3-wood and 2-iron a lot and trying to tear up the par 5s like I have been doing," said Corporon, who birdied both of the longer holes on Friday. "We'll kind of try and pick our spots over there today and hopefully the weather will cooperate."
Rain is again in the forecast for today, as well as Sunday.
Donaldson, who's won both the Men's City and River-Cade tournaments, looked right at home on his home course, shaving two shots off par. The surprise round of the day belonged to Burks, who was part of the first group to tee off.
"For Pat Burks to shoot a round like that was highly commendable," said tournament director Scott Harmelink. "Everybody was talking about that because not that many have heard of him, but Pat put together a very good round."
Corporon recovered nicely after hitting what he called a "snap hook" off the first tee, hitting his approach shot 20 feet from the hole and draining the putt for birdie. Then, on the short 457-yard par-5 second, he reached the green in two, but missed a difficult six-foot eagle putt and settled for birdie.
After a bogey on the par-3 third, Corporon once again attacked the flag on the 500-yard par-5 fifth. His second shot, a 5-iron from 210 yards, rolled just past the pin, coming to rest some 10 feet away. Although he missed another chance at eagle, he tapped in for birdie on No. 5 and parred out the rest of the nine, finishing at 2-under 34.
Another birdie on the 339-yard No. 10, a severe dogleg left, took Corporon to 3-under and he offset a bogey on the par-4 12th with his fifth birdie of the day, this one on the 353-yard 16th.
"There's always a little extra pressure when you're the defending champion," said Corporon. "But getting off to a fast start helps."
Corporon shot 68 in the opening round at Two Rivers last year and trailed Freed by one shot. Freed still led by two after the second round, but Corporon forced the playoff by shooting 74 in the closing round to 76 for Freed.
Freed, who won the inaugural Tri-State Masters two years ago, shot 78. Adam Fields and Brad Newton each carded 1-over 71 while Chad Anderson, Bob Brummel and Bob Roe Jr. shot 72.
A complete list of scores can be found on Sports Detail, page B4.
FIRST-ROUND SCORES
Ayron Corporon 67
Pat Burks 68
Jeff Donaldson 68
Steve Kruger 70
Adam Fields 71
Brad Newton 71
Chad Anderson 72
Bob Brummel 72
Bob Roe Jr. 72
Dale Erwin 73
Sam Prue 73
Don Droke 74
Ben Keane 74
Jared Kvidera 74
Zach Mathers 74
Brent Mogensen 74
Pat O’Brien 74
Larry Rubida 74
Pat Schiltz 74
Vern Van Peursem 74
Ben Edwards 75
Billy Keane 75
Gary Stieneke 75
Mark Brown 76
Paul Hyndman 76
Jim LeMoine 76
Bill Mathers 76
M.L. Petersen 76
Jim Tritz 76
Jeff Warden 76
Tom Yaneff 76
Collin Breyfogle 77
Max McDonald 77
Brian Schultz 77
Ron Spike 77
Tim Bauer 78
Chad Edwards 78
Dan Freed 78
Bill McKenna 78
Bret Van Riessen 78
Tony Ginger 79
Lloyd Jenness 79
Scott Knowles 79
Cody Bobolz 80
Troy Engdahl 80
Mike Kelly 80
Burke Noonan 80
J.R. Trembly 80
Scott Wieck 80
Eric Bricker 81
Doug Goosman 81
Ray Riefenrath 81
John Lacey 82
Tim Van Peursem 82
Rory Jansen 83
Jesse Lewter 83
Dan Gates 84
Kevin Lacey 84
Gar Lenz 84
Mike Moody 84
Mike Neswick 84
Duane Herbst 85
Lance Kamrath 85
Greg Thousand 85
Jim Buttermore 86
Darron Koolstra 86
Jerry Gengler 87
Barry Poe 87
Curtis Beers 88
Rich Brown 88
David Jacobs 88
Emery Moody 88
Dale Parker 88
Brian Meier 89
Brett Lacey 90
Josh Cedar 91
Brad Moody 91
Terry Muff 91
Fred Stinger 91
Darrell Stone 91
Tom Leitschuck 92
Tony Diaz 93
Doug Lacey 93
Dave Swearingen 93
Doug Williams 93
Bill Backer 95
Steve Glorfield 96
Jerry Stinger 101
Mark Coffey WD
Larry Franzen WD
That, of course, is a tradition each year at The Masters in Augusta, Ga., with the champion picking the menu for the "Champions Dinner."
For the record, Corporon decided on chicken wings and thighs from "Sneaky's," a popular Sioux City eatery, along with fruit salad and green beens. If he keeps playing the way he did during Friday's first round, he'll have to come up with something new for next year's menu.
Corporon fired a 3-under-par 67 at Two Rivers Golf Club, taking a one-shot lead over Jeff Donaldson and Pat Burks. Steve Kruger is another two shots behind after matching par with 70.
Play was pushed back a couple of hours because of rain, but once things got under way, Corporon picked up where he left off last year. Corporon defeated Dan Freed in a two-hole playoff a year ago.
"That's a pretty cool deal getting to pick the menu," said Corporon, who got off to a fast start with birdies on the first two holes. "It makes you feel pretty good when you're the defending champion and they try to cater everything to you.
"I had a game plan today to try and keep it in play and that worked out pretty well."
The tournament, contested on three different courses in three different states, shifts to Covington Links in South Sioux City for today's second round. The low third of the field will make the championship flight for Sunday's final round at Sioux City's Green Valley.
"I'll use the same strategy today, hitting 3-wood and 2-iron a lot and trying to tear up the par 5s like I have been doing," said Corporon, who birdied both of the longer holes on Friday. "We'll kind of try and pick our spots over there today and hopefully the weather will cooperate."
Rain is again in the forecast for today, as well as Sunday.
Donaldson, who's won both the Men's City and River-Cade tournaments, looked right at home on his home course, shaving two shots off par. The surprise round of the day belonged to Burks, who was part of the first group to tee off.
"For Pat Burks to shoot a round like that was highly commendable," said tournament director Scott Harmelink. "Everybody was talking about that because not that many have heard of him, but Pat put together a very good round."
Corporon recovered nicely after hitting what he called a "snap hook" off the first tee, hitting his approach shot 20 feet from the hole and draining the putt for birdie. Then, on the short 457-yard par-5 second, he reached the green in two, but missed a difficult six-foot eagle putt and settled for birdie.
After a bogey on the par-3 third, Corporon once again attacked the flag on the 500-yard par-5 fifth. His second shot, a 5-iron from 210 yards, rolled just past the pin, coming to rest some 10 feet away. Although he missed another chance at eagle, he tapped in for birdie on No. 5 and parred out the rest of the nine, finishing at 2-under 34.
Another birdie on the 339-yard No. 10, a severe dogleg left, took Corporon to 3-under and he offset a bogey on the par-4 12th with his fifth birdie of the day, this one on the 353-yard 16th.
"There's always a little extra pressure when you're the defending champion," said Corporon. "But getting off to a fast start helps."
Corporon shot 68 in the opening round at Two Rivers last year and trailed Freed by one shot. Freed still led by two after the second round, but Corporon forced the playoff by shooting 74 in the closing round to 76 for Freed.
Freed, who won the inaugural Tri-State Masters two years ago, shot 78. Adam Fields and Brad Newton each carded 1-over 71 while Chad Anderson, Bob Brummel and Bob Roe Jr. shot 72.
A complete list of scores can be found on Sports Detail, page B4.
FIRST-ROUND SCORES
Ayron Corporon 67
Pat Burks 68
Jeff Donaldson 68
Steve Kruger 70
Adam Fields 71
Brad Newton 71
Chad Anderson 72
Bob Brummel 72
Bob Roe Jr. 72
Dale Erwin 73
Sam Prue 73
Don Droke 74
Ben Keane 74
Jared Kvidera 74
Zach Mathers 74
Brent Mogensen 74
Pat O’Brien 74
Larry Rubida 74
Pat Schiltz 74
Vern Van Peursem 74
Ben Edwards 75
Billy Keane 75
Gary Stieneke 75
Mark Brown 76
Paul Hyndman 76
Jim LeMoine 76
Bill Mathers 76
M.L. Petersen 76
Jim Tritz 76
Jeff Warden 76
Tom Yaneff 76
Collin Breyfogle 77
Max McDonald 77
Brian Schultz 77
Ron Spike 77
Tim Bauer 78
Chad Edwards 78
Dan Freed 78
Bill McKenna 78
Bret Van Riessen 78
Tony Ginger 79
Lloyd Jenness 79
Scott Knowles 79
Cody Bobolz 80
Troy Engdahl 80
Mike Kelly 80
Burke Noonan 80
J.R. Trembly 80
Scott Wieck 80
Eric Bricker 81
Doug Goosman 81
Ray Riefenrath 81
John Lacey 82
Tim Van Peursem 82
Rory Jansen 83
Jesse Lewter 83
Dan Gates 84
Kevin Lacey 84
Gar Lenz 84
Mike Moody 84
Mike Neswick 84
Duane Herbst 85
Lance Kamrath 85
Greg Thousand 85
Jim Buttermore 86
Darron Koolstra 86
Jerry Gengler 87
Barry Poe 87
Curtis Beers 88
Rich Brown 88
David Jacobs 88
Emery Moody 88
Dale Parker 88
Brian Meier 89
Brett Lacey 90
Josh Cedar 91
Brad Moody 91
Terry Muff 91
Fred Stinger 91
Darrell Stone 91
Tom Leitschuck 92
Tony Diaz 93
Doug Lacey 93
Dave Swearingen 93
Doug Williams 93
Bill Backer 95
Steve Glorfield 96
Jerry Stinger 101
Mark Coffey WD
Larry Franzen WD
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