NACC Day 2: Wiegand, Fraley pull away from the pack
Just 24 hours ago, we were looking at a crowded field atop the North American Collins Championship (NACC), with four members of the 22-player field all sitting pretty at 6-2, essentially tied for first place. Turns out, a lot can change in 24 hours. We're now looking at a field with two players standing tall above the rest, and a host of others fighting for third.
Dave Wiegand lived up to his top seeding today, winning six of his eight games and ascending to first place outright, but even more impressive today was the performance of Kevin Fraley, who went a perfect 8-0, topped off by a nice win over Dave in the final round. Dave now holds sole possession of first place, and Kevin sits only a win behind.
We've got 8 games to go before we cut to the top 4 players for Monday's playoffs. We'll soon find out whether Dave and Kevin can hold onto the top spots, plus who else will stamp their tickets to the knockout rounds.
THE LEADERS
We've got a star-studded lineup of top players currently leading the field. Tomorrow, we'll find out who among them can break through to the final four.
Here's how the top 10 looks at the moment:
1. Dave Wiegand (12-4, +1015)
2. Kevin Fraley (11-5, +570)
3. Kolton Koehler (10-6, +836)
4. John O'Laughlin (10-6, +529)
5. Brad Whitmarsh (9-7, +458)
6. Rob Robinsky (9-7, +300)
7. Alec Sjöholm (9-7, +247)
8. Quinn James (9-7, +168)
9. Peter Armstrong (9-7, +162)
10. Scott Jackson (9-7, +114)
GAME OF THE DAY
There was a lot of Dr. Bing today at the top table, and perhaps his most exciting game was his matchup with Chris Grubb in round 14. Chris got out to a big lead early on, but Dave came charging back in impressive fashion, leading to a close endgame that I won't spoil here. Take a look for yourself.
ALL THE GAMES
It was an exciting day at Table 1, and you can relive it all, one move at a time. Check out the annotated games from rounds 9 through 16:
Round 9: Austin Shin vs. Dave Wiegand
Round 10: Kolton Koehler vs. Peter Armstrong
Round 11: Kolton Koehler vs. Dave Wiegand
Round 12: Austin Shin vs. John O'Laughlin
Round 13: Rob Robinsky vs. Dave Wiegand
Round 14: Christopher Grubb vs. Dave Wiegand
Round 15: Dave Wiegand vs. Peter Armstrong
Round 16: Kevin Fraley vs. Dave Wiegand
COMING UP TOMORROW
It's that time: The conclusion of the 24 preliminary rounds is upon us. We'll find out tomorrow which four players qualify for Monday's action.
The chase is on!