Kwon remains on top despite shooting 74 on Day 2

Kevin Kwon wasn't likely to repeat his opening-round performance of eight under par 64. Simply not coming back to the pack too much would have to be a reasonable goal.

The 18-year-old Pitt Meadows, B.C. native saw his lead reduced by just one stroke despite carding a two-over-par 74 on Day 2 of the 2013 Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Timberwolf Golf Club on Wednesday.

Sitting at 138, Kwon is now ahead of Andrew Harrison from Camrose (Alta.), who followed up a round one 71 with a 69 on Day 2, matching the best round of the day. Two shots back of Kwon at 140, Harrison's round included an eagle on the par-five 11th hole, adding four birdies to offset three bogeys.

The grouping behind the top two is very tightly congested with Matthew Scobie (Ajax, Ont.), Ryan Borg (Caledon, Ont.) and Nicholas Scrymgeour (Cochrane, Alta.) all at three under par 141, with the tandem of Joseph Kremer (Toronto, Ont.) and Austin James (Bath, Ont.) another stroke back at 142.

All things considered, Kwon walked away pretty pleased with his status at the midway point of the tournament.

“The biggest challenge is just to do the same thing," said Kwon, addressing his mindset entering Round 2 after tearing up the Northern Ontario course on Tuesday.

"I think I did a good job with that. It's just that the conditions were tougher today. It was a little harder to score and obviously was a little frustrating, but I grinded it out. It could have been way worse."

A veteran of courses from one end of the country to the other, Kwon believes that Timberwolf lends itself reasonably well to the strengths of his game.

"There's a premium on keeping the ball in play in the fairway," said the 2011 Canadian Junior champion.

"I hit the tee ball pretty good and I have a lower ball flight, so when it's windy in the afternoon, I can really pierce it through the wind. I didn't find, off the tee, that I was losing any shots."

With his sizzling round to open the tournament, it really wasn't a big surprise that all eyes and much of the gallery chatter surrounded the well-spoken talent who will begin his freshman season at the University of Washington in September.

"I actually really enjoy (the attention), because you don't often get it," Kwon said with a smile. "You feel a little more like a tour pro. I think it's fun, it's awesome talking to you guys."

Making a gradual transition from the Junior ranks to the Amateur game, Kwon was confident that a breakthrough might be imminent.

"I hadn't scored as well in amateur tournaments as I had in junior tournaments in the past," he explained.

"But I felt good about my game. I felt I was due for a good tournament. I'm halfway through and I have the lead, so I'm in good shape," he summarized.
The same, unfortunately, could not be said for the local pairing of Nick Quesnel and Jason Picco, both of whom missed the cut.

With 74 golfers sitting at nine over par 153 or better, both Sudbury lads will not advance to play the final two rounds.

Quesnel followed up an 81 on Tuesday with a 79 on Day 2, posting a score of 160.
After finishing with a 78 on Day 1, Picco could also not remain in contention, dropping back with an 86 and two-day score of 164.

Meanwhile, Team Alberta took bragging rights in the inter-provincial championship, earning a one stroke victory over Team Ontario.

The winning trio included Scrymgeour, Tyler Saunders and Ian Mmabndo while Ontario's hopes were carried by Borg, Jake McNulty and Nicholas Ross.

In addition to sitting second overall, Harrison holds a four-stroke lead in the race for the Juvenile crown, awarded to the top golfer 16 years of age or younger in the field.