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Ridings alone in the lead at Bogota Open

Fri 5th, March 2010

Bogota, Colombia (Sports Network) - First-round co-leader Tag Ridings shot a two-under 69 on Friday to take sole possession of the second-round lead at the inaugural Bogota Open.

Ridings finished 36 holes at eight-under 134 and is one stroke clear of William McGirt, who fired a five-under 66 on Friday, at The Country Club of Bogota.

Former PGA Tour player Steve Pate (66), B.J. Staten (67) and Jamie Lovemark (69) are knotted in third place at minus-six.

Dave Schultz, who shared the first-round lead with Ridings, struggled to a one-over 72 and is tied for sixth place with Gary Christian, who had a one- under 70 on Friday. The pair finished two rounds at five-under 137.

Ridings birdied the second hole, then found serious trouble at the par-four third. He hit a sand-wedge, never noticed overhanging tree branches and walked off with a double-bogey.

"I was looking at the pin and there was an overhanging limb up there that I never really noticed," admitted Ridings. "One little branch that was a perfect height for the sand-wedge. I didn't realize the tree was in the way. It was a mental error."

Ridings birdied No. 6, then traded two bogeys and two birdies starting at the ninth. He birdied the 14th and closed with a birdie at the last to grab sole possession of first.

"I did my best to grind it out and I made a couple of bounce-back birdies, which was really helpful," said Ridings. "The roller coaster part of it was that it didn't go down the whole time, it came back up a few times."

Ridings has only one victory on the Nationwide Tour and that came at the 2002 Permian Basin Open.

Miguel Angel Carballo (67), Joe Affrunti (67), Brad Elder (69), John Reigger (70) and Aaron Watkins (67) are tied for eighth place at four-under-par 67.

NOTES: The 36-hole cut fell at one-over 143...Jim Herman, who is second on the Nationwide Tour money list, missed the weekend as did former PGA Tour winner Notah Begay III...Kelly Grunewald and Bubba Dickerson both withdrew on Friday due to illness.