Air Capital Classic notes: Golfers handle lightning delay in different ways

Scott Gutschewski may have the lowest expectations of any golfer still in contention at the Air Capital Classic.

“I am just hoping to make it through the weekend,” he said following a 66, which put him in a tie for third at 7-under par.

Sarcasm? Nope. A joke? Nope again.

Gutschewski is eight months removed from a surgical procedure on his right Achilles tendon, and what he has found since returning to competitive golf is that closing out a four-day tournament is mighty taxing. He has made the cut in two other events this season, but limped home on the weekends.

“This is kind of my event where I am going to decide what to do with the rest of the year,” he said. “Whether I am going to play or go back on medical. I played twice earlier this year and the Achilles just hasn’t held up during the third and fourth rounds. It has just kind of deteriorated.”

It felt strong Friday. He hopes things stay that way.

“It is hard enough to play out here when you are 100 percent,” he said. “It is really hard. But it is really, really hard -- you add a really in there — at the end of the week —It isn’t so much the swing. It is more the walking. It wears it down. I start the week at about 95 percent and it goes slowly down from there.”

Killing time — Golfers passed time in different ways during a three-hour lightning delay Friday morning.

“If you want to know the truth, I actually fell asleep a couple times,” said Miguel Carballo through an interpreter. “The first delay, they gave us two hours, so I took a nap in the locker room. I got a text message that it was going to be another hour, so I went to sleep again.”

He will get even more slip leading up to Saturday’s third round, as he will tee off as a member of the final group.

So will Gutschewski, who left the course for several hours Friday.

“I went back to the hotel and just kind of hung out a little bit,” he said. “We are five minutes away. No big deal.”

Dawie van der Walt tried not to let the delay bother him.

“It’s not the best when you wake up and you are ready to go and then you have to sit around for three more hours,” he said. “I was definitely awake when I came to the tee. It happens. You better get used to it. There is nothing you can do about it.”

Making the cut — Zac Potter left Crestview Country Club hoping for the best and fearing for the worst Friday. At even par, the Wichita State alum does not know whether he will make the cut and play two more rounds this weekend.

The projected cut line of 65 plus ties was 1-under, but that could drop to even with golfers returning Saturday to finish their rounds.

Potter does not like his odds, but he was glad he gave himself a chance after a disastrous start to his second round. His first shot of the day sailed out of bounds, leading to a double bogey. Then he bogeyed the second hole, leaving him at 4-over for the tournament. But four birdies on the back nine got him into red numbers and he finished with a 69.

“I am very disappointed that I may fall one short, but I am very excited I was able to perform under pressure,” Potter said. “I turned at 3-over and knew I had to close at at least 4-under to give myself a chance.”

Checking on the champ — Defending Air Capital Classic champion Sebastian Cappelen rallied from a lackluster first day in Friday’s second round, shooting a 4-under 66 after shooting par on the first day for a two-day .

Web.com Tour money leader Patton Kizzire will miss the cut, finishing at 2-over after two rounds. Kizzire followed up his disastrous, opening-round 73 with a 69 on Friday.

Like he’s not busy enough — The Air Capital Classic is the weekend where Butler Community College athletic director Matt Jacobs switches out his signature purple shirt for a different one — Friday it was pink, with an Air Capital logo — as he heads into volunteer mode.

Jacobs, who handles all of Butler’s social media accounts, does the same for the Air Capital Classic and is in his fifth year as a volunteer.

“It’s great for a couple of different reasons,” Jacobs said. “First, I really enjoy the people I get to be around and second, I’m in media relations, so it helps with that part of my job. It’s always good to keep trying to make connections.”

But what about a vacation? Or maybe just a break from the grind?

“Butler’s not that busy in the summer,” Jacobs said, laughing. “And like I said, I enjoy it. I started working with the tournament as a project when I was in graduate school at Wichita State and then came over as a volunteer. It’s a great event.”

This story was originally published June 26, 2015 at 9:48 PM with the headline "Air Capital Classic notes: Golfers handle lightning delay in different ways."