2022 Arizona Open notes: ASU alum leads field, Peoria native tops amateurs
PGA Tour Latinoamérica member Nicolo Galletti was denied an exemption to the 2022 Arizona Open. But that didn’t stop the Arizona State University men’s golf alum.
Galletti turned to the professional circuit after graduating from ASU in 2017 and is currently ranked 34th on the tour.
Galletti returned from the Latinoamérica Tour on July 21 to participate in the Arizona Open’s penultimate qualifying round at Lone Tree Golf Club in Chandler. There were 26 qualifying spots available at Lone Tree, and Galletti blew out his competition, finishing in first place with an 11-under-par 60.
“Exemptions are tough to get, no matter what, it's not a big deal that I didn't get one,” Galletti said. “It was nice to get that 60 at the qualifier. It gave me even more confidence. So, it actually might be a better thing that I didn’t get that exemption.”
Now, Galletti is leading the Arizona Open. Through two rounds, Galletti is 12-under-par. He started the tournament with a 7-under-par showing on Monday afternoon.
“It's always nice to start off the tournament, at least have the lead and you can always just kind of control what's going on,” Galletti said. “From there, either you play good and you're gonna win or if you play bad, you're not gonna win, but at least if you play good the first day, you know what, you're gonna do what you need to do the rest of the way. So, I was happy with that start.”
Galletti struggled on the front nine, bogeying holes Nos. 2, 3, and 6. He bounced back ahead of the turn, however, and had three straight birdies at holes 7, 8, and 9. He didn’t bogey on the back nine and had an eagle on the 18th hole.
Galletti is two shots ahead of second-place Carson Roberts, who shot 10-under-par through 36 holes. Grant Booth is sitting in third place at 9-under-par.
“I don't really think overthink it too much out there,” Galletti said. “I'm kind of just out here just doing my thing. I’m just hoping to get shots, I mean, but my game is feeling good. My swing is feeling good. So yeah, I gotta just trust it.”
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Lorenz leading amateurs
Peoria-born Ben Lorenz carded eight birdies in the second round of the Arizona Open on Tuesday, leading to a 6-under-par 64. On Monday, the University of Oklahoma golfer carded a 69.
“I don't really think about it too much,” Lorenz said of his eight-birdie performance. "Kind of just the same game plan, just picking one target at a time and then you just gotta make the putt, is really what matters in the end.”
With a two-day 7-under-par score, Lorenz is leading all amateurs.
The University of Oklahoma golfer wasn’t very familiar with the Mesa Country Club Golf Course. He said he played the course just a couple times in preparation for the tournament, and he drew similarities to other courses around the Valley.
“It's in good shape, definitely,” Lorenz said. “It's not the longest. So, I think if you're hitting, just driving it well, I mean, there's a few courses that are similar, like Phoenix Country Club. There's some similarities. I think it just rewards good driving because if you're driving long and straight, you're having wedges in almost everything.”
Valley locals in the Open
The field was pared down to the top 50 and ties on Tuesday.
Charlie Beljan, who hails from Mesa and won the 2019 Arizona Open, currently sits in fourth place at 8-under-par, four shots behind Galletti.
UA men’s golf rising sophomore Johnny Walker missed the cut following Tuesday’s round. Walker shot 1-over-par for through two rounds.
Former Arcadia standout Gavin Aurilia, who is now on the USC men’s golf team, made the cut with a two-round score of 4-under-par 136.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 2022 Arizona Open notes: ASU alum leads field
