Derek Murphy wanted nothing more than a relaxing afternoon round of golf with an old college friend.

Now he’ll play for stakes Sunday afternoon.

Murphy shot a 4-under par 66 and leads the field by two strokes going into Sunday’s championship round of the Paul Walker Memorial Golf Tournament at the Paul Walker Golf Course.

Murphy, 29, went into Saturday afternoon’s flight as part of a four-member group with Joe Hood, the Warren Central girls’ basketball coach and a college teammate and roommate from Lindsey Wilson.

A regular at the tournament, Murphy leads the field with nine contenders separated by four strokes.

“It’s just more about having fun,” Murphy said. “I don’t really play as much as I used to and I’m not as competitive really. I just went out there and had fun and sometimes you never know what’s going to happen, really.”

Murphy’s round was highlighted by a hole-in-one on the par-3 No. 12. The Casey County native took a 52-degree wedge and dropped the ball directly in the hole for his fourth career ace.

Though he followed it up with a bogey on No. 13, his overall consistent round including two birdies has him sitting two strokes in front of Michael Crabtree in second.

“Played pretty solid,” Murphy said. “Missed a few putts early. I was getting on the green and I had a few chances. Nerves got to me right after the hole-in-one. I blocked on out right and barely made bogey and finally got back on track.”

Murphy will tee off with Crabtree, Cameron Fields and Christian Tooley in the championship round starting at 1 p.m. Sunday. The Paul Walker Memorial Tournament is the first of two of the city’s main summer municipal tournaments, followed by the Pickens Amateur June 23-24.

“Never had any intentions, it’s just more of a fun thing,” Murphy said. “Work 55 hours a week and getting to play, you’re just out there having a good time. We’ll try to do it again tomorrow.”

Crabtree sits one stroke in front of Bowling Green native Cameron Fields’ 1-under par 69. Lindsey, Hood, Hayden Young, Matt Fuqua, Christian Tooley and John Kirby all shot even-par 70s on Saturday.

A short thunderstorm delayed the afternoon flight, which Crabtree said made the greens a bit slower after the turn.

Crabtree, another regular at the tournament, started the day with birdies on three of his first four holes.

“It was actually a great start,” Crabtree said. “I started on No. 2 and hit an 8-iron to the front of the green and actually lipped out on an eagle (attempt) for my very first hole. I thought it was a fantastic start to get me going in the right direction.”

Crabtree, an active tournament player in Lexington and contributor to the Kentucky Golf Association, said he’s known Murphy from playing in golf tournaments in Casey County and is excited to pair with him in a tight final round Sunday.

“I’ve known Derek for a few years, playing with him in some Casey County events,” Crabtree said. “It’s actually going to be nice playing in the same group with him and see what we can do. As long as the putter stays good, I’ll give it all I’ve got, that’s for sure.”{&end}