Matthews shoots back-to-back 65s

Brandon Matthews is putting together a big finish to 2020 on the professional golf tours.

Matthews, coming off a tie for 18^th a week ago, headed into this weekend alone in third place at the PGA Tour Latinoamerica’s Peurto Plata Open in the Dominican Republic after shooting consecutive rounds of 6-under-par, 65 Thursday and Friday.

The former state high school champion from Pittston Area is playing in what is technically the beginning of the 2020-21 Latinoamerica Tour season. The bulk of what would have been the 2020 season on that tour was wiped out because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The PGA Tour created the LOCALiQ Series, an eight-event series and championship event, to replace the lost opportunities for its touring professionals in various international series. Matthews took advantage of that, making five of eight cuts and qualifying for the LOCALiQ Series Championships where he finished tied for 22^nd. Between the eight-event series and its championship event, the 26-year-old from Dupont also posted his first win on the Minor League Golf Tour, claiming a $10,464 first prize for a 36-hole November event in Florida.

Matthews hit the midway point of this week’s event in contention for another victory.

Alejandro Tosti shot back-to-back 63s for 16-under-par, 126 and a three-shot lead over Brendon Doyle. Matthews is alone in third, one shot in front of a group of six players.

Matthews went 13-under for 28 holes after playing the first eight in 1-over Thursday when he started on 10.

Starting with 18, Matthews birdied seven of the next eight holes, including five in a row from 3 to 7, before finishing with two straight pars.

Matthews had eight birdies and two bogeys Friday, when he birdied three of the first five and two of the last three holes.

The field of 144 players was cut to 57 – the top 55 and ties – following Friday’s round. The tournament has a total purse of $175,000, including $31,500 to the winner.

During last week’s Shell Open in Doral, Fla., Matthews shot 6-under-par, 278, putting up three rounds of 70 following an opening 68. He recovered from rough starts in each of the last two rounds, playing the final 12 holes in 4-under Dec. 12 and was 5-under for a stretch of seven holes before a closing bogey in the final round.