San Diego County Open : Amateur Bryan Gorman Takes a Relaxed Lead

Bryan Gorman, a 23-year-old amateur golfer from Chula Vista, believes good things come to those who wait.

So when things started a bit slowly for Gorman in the second round of the San Diego County Open Sunday--three pars and one birdie on the first four holes--he called upon the type of patience usually reserved for a professional.

“I knew the birdies would start to come,” he said. “I just had to relax.”

He relaxed, and then he went out and shot a six-under-par 66 on the Monte Vista course at the Cottonwood Country Club to take the lead in the three-day, 72-hole tournament.

Gorman, at 12-under 133, takes a two-shot lead over defending champion Ted Lehman into today’s final two rounds.

At four shots back are four golfers, including first-round co-leader Bill Lytle.

Said Gorman: “The way people had been playing, I felt I would need a 66 or 67 to be in the lead. It was just a matter of being patient.”

On the back nine, Gorman carved out his lead thanks to a pair of birdies and an eagle on the Par 5 14th-hole, chipping in from about 50 feet.

From there, he just had to be patient, making his way through the final five holes at even par to maintain his lead.

Being patient is something he’s getting used to. Even though the Professional Golfers Assn. tour probably awaits Gorman in the near future, he’s happy now with just being an amateur and fine-tuning his game.

“Being a pro means you have to go out and play well like this all the time,” Gorman said. “Even if I’m lucky enough to hang on and win this tournament, I won’t try for my PGA card until next year.”

Others in this weekend’s tournament might encourage him to go for his card a bit sooner.

After all, Gorman is an amateur and all the golfers of the leader board, in pursuit, are pros.

“There’s no question I’m happy with my performance so far,” Gorman said. “You look at that board and there are some great players up there.

“You may not know their names now, but these are people who will be on the tour and doing well on the tour in the near future.”

And when will Gorman join them?

“All in good time,” he said. “All in good time.”