John Furlong shot a second-round 71 and is two shots ahead of former state high school champion Mac McLaughlin.
AURORA, Ohio -- Getting to 1-under after 36 holes can be accomplished in a number of ways.
But John Furlong agrees he took an unusual route during the first two rounds of the 80th Northeast Ohio Amateur, which reached the halfway point on Wednesday at Aurora Golf Club. The final 36 holes will be played Monday at the Country Club of Hudson, and if Furlong's final 36 holes are anything like the first 36, it should be one heck of a finish in the Championship Division.
Furlong, a member of the Kent State golf team, shot a second-round 71 and his 36-hole total of 1 under 141 was two shots better than former state high school champion Mac McLaughlin, whose 2-under 69 was the best of the day.
Elyria's Norton Brick extended his lead to four shots in the Senior Division with a second-round 72 for a two-day total of 142. The Seniors will only play 18 holes on Monday.
Furlong, of Medina, has had an adventurous two days. His rounds consisted of 17 pars, nine birdies, one eagle, eight bogeys and one double bogey. That's a lot of birdies.
"Especially for me," said Furlong, who will be a senior. "I'm usually more of a par player. I normally don't make a lot of birdies. I can't complain."
Furlong had 29 putts at Aurora, including a pair of long-range bombs for birdie on the par-4 10th and 14th holes.
"My putter saved me," he said. "I'm usually around 32 to 34 putts a round, so 29 is good."
McLaughin, from Shaker Heights and a senior at Virginia, pulled into sole possession of second place with his 69, which tied first-round leader Rob Schustrich for low round of the tournament. Schustrich, from Windham, is three shots back, while Concord's Brad Steven, Uniontown's Ross Beal and Highland Heights' Zach Glassman are tied for fourth at 145.
Brick is attempting to become the first player to win both the Championship Division -- which he did in 2004 -- and the Senior Division, which is being held for the 13th time. He holds a four-shot lead over Solon's Jeff Knox (72-74), and seven over Hudson's Mike Cassell (74-75).