By Ryan Bisesi
rbisesi@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — When Corbin Hills’ golf pro Jay Hill sounded the horn at 5:47 p.m. Friday afternoon, it was time for everyone at the 34th Horace Billings Rowan Amateur to come into the clubhouse and settle into a break in the action. The course was surrounded by ominous clouds.
But if you were Ronnie Eidson or Keith Dorsett, it really didn’t matter when play resumed around 6:30.
That’s because both jumped out to big leads and advanced to Saturday’s semifinal round early, beating the bad weather that could potentially stick around today.
Eidson, the defending champ and top seed entering Friday, played bogey-free and missed one fairway to defeat John Baxter and move on.
Eidson, a three-time winner of the Amateur, won 6 & 5 to end his day after 13 holes on the 6,500-yard, par-72 course.
“No bogeys, so I was completely satisfied,” Eidson said. “Kept it in play real good so I was happy with that. I played pretty solid today.”
Andrew Morgan, also in Eidson’s group, was 1 up after a one-hole playoff against Bucky Bradley. Eidson and Morgan tee off at 8:06 a.m. today.
“He’s been a friend of mine for 20 years,” Eidson said of Morgan, who he has never played against. “We’ll have a good time.”
With more rain potentially in the forecast for today, Eidson feels like it’s anyone’s to win.
“I feel like everybody’s in it,” Eidson said. “This is going to be a tough year for someone to win this one. There’s some good players out here.”
Dorsett won 6 & 5 against Bryan Moore with five birdies and faces Brian Jones today. The South Rowan grad was 4-under through 13 holes at a course he’s played since he was a kid.
“It was one of those rounds where I pretty much tried to get up on him early,” said Dorsett, who won his seventh Rowan Masters last month. “I played pretty consistent. I made him have to make birdies to beat me.”
Jones beat Don Terzi (5 & 4) and Michael Dorsett topped Joe Cress 2 & 1.
Randy Bingham defeated Shane Benfield 3 & 2 and Todd Johnson beat Gary Powers 5 & 4.
Ross Steedley defeated Jon Post via forefit.
Mark Deese was a 4 & 2 winner against Todd Deaton while Josh Johnson edged Ricky Honeycutt 3 & 2.
Curt Thomas, Carl Moore, Steve Gegorek and Kevin Lentz were rounded out the Friday winners.
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NOTES: The Dwayne McIntyre-Drue Davis match was the lone casualty of the rain delay as it was postponed due to darkness. McIntyre-Davis resumes at 7 a.m. today. … Gary Miller, the five-time Amateur champion, was upended by Sean Kramer (1 up), the medalist at the Rowan Masters. Kramer will face the McIntyre/Davis winner. … Second-round tee times are 8:14 (M. Dorsett-Bingham and Johnson-Steedley); 8:22 (Deese-Johnson and Thomas-Moore) and 8:30 (Gegorek-Lentz and Kramer vs.McIntyre-Davis).