Mini-tour professional Jonathan Keppler of Marietta, carded a second round of 1-under par 71 to move to 7-under par 137 and maintained his lead during the second round of the 69th annual Georgia Open presented by L&J Golf Inc at Jennings Mill Country Club in Watkinsville.
Keppler, who played collegiate golf at Florida State, started on the back nine first and went out in 1-under par 35, he carded an even par inward nine of 36, for a second round of 1-under par 71. Keppler won the GSGA State Amateur title in 2019 at Settindown Creek shortly after graduation from Florida State last May. He is the son of Georgia Golf Hall of Fame Member Stephen Keppler of Marietta who won the Georgia Open both in 1994 and 1995. The younger Keppler is trying to join Dewitt Weaver Jr. and Dewitt Weaver III as the only father son combination to claim this championship.
Alone in second place at six-under par is amateur Ruan Pretorius of West Point. Pretoruis, a native of South Africa, is attending Point University in West Point. Pretorius shot a second round of four-under par 68 and is at six-under par 139 for the championship. He birdied four of his last six holes.
Zach Caldwell of Alpharetta shot a second round 67, which matched the low round of the day and is in third place. Alone in fourth place is mini-tour player Jared O’Kelley of Canton. O’Kelley shot a second round of one-under par 71 and is at four-under par 140 for the championship. O’Kelley finished tied for second place in 2019, losing in a playoff to eventual champion, Barrett Waters of Dallas. Waters shot a second round of 73, which currently puts him in a tie for 29th place for the championship. The 36-hole cut came at seven-over par 151 with 53 players advancing to play the weekend.
Jennings Mill Country Club was designed by legendary golf architect Bob Cupp in 1986 and is a playing to a par 72 and 6926 yards for the championship. Cupp succeeded in retaining the beauty of the area while building a course that is fun and challenging for golfers of all levels. It has hosted Georgia PGA events, Nationwide Tour events, and many of the top amateur competitions in the state.
About L&J Golf Inc: We love golf. We manage golf. We own golf courses. We lend to club owners. For our team, it was just not enough to just play we wanted more. As a boutique company, we know golf and the hospitality industry with 100 years experience on our team. We have been financing golf for over three decades. Our ultimate goal is to help grow the game of golf and help club owners build the best clubs in the industry.
Jennings Mill Country Club was designed by legendary golf architect Bob Cupp in 1986 and is a playing to a par 72 and 6926 yards for the championship. Cupp succeeded in retaining the beauty of the area while building a course that is fun and challenging for golfers of all levels. It has hosted Georgia PGA events, Nationwide Tour events, and many of the top amateur competitions in the state.
About L&J Golf Inc: We love golf. We manage golf. We own golf courses. We lend to club owners. For our team, it was just not enough to just play we wanted more. As a boutique company, we know golf and the hospitality industry with 100 years experience on our team. We have been financing golf for over three decades. Our ultimate goal is to help grow the game of golf and help club owners build the best clubs in the industry.
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