Robert Dargan struggles, but keeps lead at City Championship
Robert Dargan visited the pro shop and bought bottles of water and Gatorade prior to his opening round Thursday in the Midlands Chevy Dealers Columbia City Golf Championship. He sizzled, shooting a 7-under-par 65 to take the lead.
Being the superstitious sort, he followed the same pattern, complete with the same flavor of sports drink, for Friday’s second round at the Country Club of Lexington.
The ploy, he said, “didn’t work.”
Although hitting the ball better from tee to green, his putter went AWOL in his second-round 72. He still owns the top spot at 7-under 137, but he said, “I need to find my putting stroke before (Saturday).”
Dargan, who won the city title in 1990 and 2002, takes a two-stroke lead over Jordan Sease (72-67—139) into Saturday’s final round with Cole Thornton lurking at 140 and both John Obrien and Jeff Burkett at 3-under 141.
Burke Cromer (The Spur at Northwoods) captured his eighth title in the pro division Friday, posting a two-round total of 142 to edge Clem King (Country Club of Lexington) by one shot and Rohan Allwood (Woodlands) by three.
In the senior division, David Lovit (140) took a four-stroke advantage over Rich Houghton into Saturday’s final round, and Bob Stringer (144) owns a four-shot edge over Ron Callahan and Steve Pachol with 18 holes to play in the Super Senior competition.
Tee times begin Saturday at 8 a.m. with the leaders scheduled to start at 9:30.
Dargan needed 27 putts in his opening 65. He required 35 strokes on the greens Friday, and he needed to sink a pair of 6-footers on his final two holes to save par and retain the lead.
“After I missed short putts early, I started putting defensively,” he said. “The difference is, I was above the hole Friday. I made everything Thursday and I made nothing (Friday).”
Sease turned professional after a runner-up finish in the 2012 city tourney, but he gave up his pro ambitions, began work on his masters degree at Clemson and regained his amateur status.
After an even-par 72 Thursday, he started on No. 10 Friday and made the turn at 1-under-par 35. He bogeyed the second hole, his 11th, to fall to even par for the tournament before finishing with a flurry of birdies – five on his final seven holes.
“I just have to go out and shoot a good number to win,” Sease, who played collegiately at Winthrop and is playing on his home course, said.
Dargan, the reigning State Mid-Amateur champion, shared the same thought.
“If I play well and lose, that’s OK,” he said. “I just get frustrated when I don’t play as well as I’m capable.”
Midlands Chevy Dealers City Tournament
The Country Club of Lexington
AMATEUR
Robert Dargan, Columbia 65-72 —137
Jordan Sease, Lexington 72-67 —139
Cole Thornton, West Columbia 70-70 —140
John Obrien, Columbia 70-71 —141
Jeff Burkett, Lexington 71-70 —141
Ben Jansen, Blythewood 72-71 —143
Brent Roof, Columbia 71-72 —143
Nicholas Beiers, Lexington 74-70 —144
Chase Fisher, Columbia 77-68 —145
Brian Lee Blythewood 74-71 —145
Hunter Watkins, Lexington 73-72 —145
Douglas Cottingham, Hopkins 74-72 —146
Cole Hargett, Blythewood 74-72 —146
Eddie Hargett, Blythewood 73-73 —146
Robert Motley, Lexington 71-76 —147
Ben Karns, Columbia 66-81 —147
Wick Andrews, Columbia 73-75 —148
Kemp Hooper, Lexington 74-74 —148
Bryce Miley, Lexington 74-74 —148
Christopher Basquill, Columbia 75-74 —149
Zack Casto, Columbia 74-75 —149
Andrew Hall, Columbia 73-78 —151
Eric Nord, Blythewood 78-73 —151
Chase Sturkie, Pelion 75-76 —151
Mike Evans, Columbia 74-77 —151
Hunter Dodgen, Columbia 77-74 —151
Dillon Hite, Lexington 79-73 —152
Ryan Petz, Columbia 77-75 —152
Gregg Erickson, Lexington 76-77 —153
Scott Sommers, Blythewood 75-78 —153
John Allen Meetze, West Columbia 77-76 —153
George Richardson, Columbia 76-78 —154
David Thames, Blythewood 79-75 —154
David Dargan, Columbia 79-75 —154
Noel Pack, Lexington 74-82 —156
Bryan Drennon, West Columbia 80-76 —156
Missed the cut
Connor Patterson, Lexington 73-84 —157
Ishaan Vasudeva, Columbia 79-78 —157
Dan Sullivan, Columbia 78-81 —159
Matthew Hutto, Blythewood 82-80 —162
Alan Gibson, Lexington 79-84 —163
Jared Beard, Gaston 82-81 —163
Tim Nielsen, Columbia 83-82 —165
Reid Metts, Columbia 82-83 —165
Michael Frost, Columbia 85-80 —165
Jennings Huntley, Columbia 87-80 —167
Fulton Jones, Columbia 84-83 —167
Jason Cochcroft, Lexington 89-79 —168
Kenneth Taylor, Columbia 84-84 —168
Paul Cotton, Blythewood 84-85 —169
Kelly Felder, Columbia 89-81 —170
Matthew West, Columbia 90-80 —170
Allen Hancock, Columbia 81-89 —170
Neal Rister, Columbia 89-82 —171
David Smith, Columbia 90-106 —196
Cole Krantz, Cayce 81-WD
Blair Babcock, Columbia 89-WD
PRO
Burke Cromer, Columbia 72-70 —142
Clem King, Columbia 73-70 —143
Rohan Allwood, Blythewood 74-71 —145
Tony Branham, Ridgeway 72-75 —147
Steven Hartwig, Lexington 76-77 —153
Chris Sparrow, Blythewood 78-77 —155
Chris Miller, Chapin 79-78 —157
Chase Butler, Irmo 76-83 —159
Kurt Sokolowski, Columbia 81-81 —162
Eric Wilson, Columbia 81-81 —162
SENIOR
David Lovit, Columbia 72-70 —142
Rich Houghton, Columbia 70-74 —144
Rick Aldous, Lexington 73-74 —147
Bob Edens, Columbia 74-73 —147
Gary Jones, West Columbia 72-76 —148
Bernie Shealy, Columbia 75-73 —148
Gus Sylvan, Columbia 72-76 —148
Robert Renfroe, Lexington 73-76 —149
Anthony Bryant, Columbia 75-74 —149
Ben Jett, Lexington 75-75 —150
Robin Alley, Columbia 71-80 —151
Walter Odiorne, Blythewood 78-73 —151
Tom Gaines, Columbia 75-78 —153
Steve McClam, Columbia 79-76 —155
Balbir Minhas, Elgin 77-78 —155
Missed the cut
Eddie Shannon, Columbia 78-78 —156
Jeff Nichols, Elgin 81-80 —161
Danny Stubbs, Columbia 81-80 —161
Paul Turner, Columbia 79-84 —163
Robert Johns, Columbia 83-80 —163
David Herndon, Lexington 79-84 —163
Steve Swier, Lexington 85-81 —166
John Zielger, Lexington 87-86 —173
SUPER SENIOR
Bob Stringer, Blythewood 71-73 —144
Ron Callahan, Little Mountain 74-74 —148
Steve Pachol, Columbia 76-72 —148
Buck Leigh, Columbia 73-77 —150
Steve Simmons, Columbia 76-75 —151
Ron Intermill, Blythewood 78-77 —155
Don Ries, Blythewood 81-77 —158
Jon Biggs, Blythewood 80-80 —160
Vic Hannon, Columbia 79-84 —163
This story was originally published July 17, 2015 at 8:36 PM with the headline "Robert Dargan struggles, but keeps lead at City Championship."