Menlo School junior Andrew Buchanan of Los Altos Hills fired a 1-under 69 on Wednesday and moved into a tie for 20th after two days of the Trader Joe’s Jr. Championship at Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton.
Buchanan bounced back from an opening-round 76 on Tuesday and has a 36-hole total of 5-over-par 145 heading into the final round on Thursday on the tough par-70 Hill Course.
Buchanan had three birdies on his front nine and finished with a 3-under 32. That was 10 strokes better than his opening round. Buchanan picked up a birdie on the par-4 10th hole, but had three bogeys after that to finish his back nine with a 37.
Despite his solid second-round score, Buchanan still trails Ryan Han of Hollister by 13 shots after Han fired an 8-under 62 on Wednesday. Han began his back nine with an eagle on the par-4 10th.
In the girls’ division, Castilleja grad Brenna Nelsen shot a 5-over 75 and dropped eight strokes off the pace with a 36-hole total of 73-75-148. She’s in a tie for fifth place. Michelle Xie of Palo Alto is in sole possession of seventh place after shooting a 3-over 73 on Wednesday. She’s at 76-73-149, nine shots behind leader Hannah Suh of San Jose (68-72-140), who’s at even par.
The Trader Joe’s Junior Championship, hosted by Pat Hurst, is a 54-hole stroke play event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association. The tournament field features 72 boys and 24 girls from 10 states and four countries.