Kennedy High School junior Davis Sutton was born and bred to be an exceptional golfer.

He was named (partially) after pro golfer Davis Love III, who has won 20 times on the PGA Tour. His father, Bill, was a teaching pro at the Wildcat course in Shellsburg, where Davis learned to play the game at an early age.

On top of that, the Sutton family has a golf shop and practice facility in their garage in Cedar Rapids, so Davis can hit the ball all winter and get new grips on his clubs whenever he wants.

No wonder he's so good.

Sutton fired a 3-under-par 69 at Ellis Park Golf Course Monday and made an eagle-3 on the 520-yard 12th hole with a blind 50-yard pitch to grab a commanding lead after 36 holes of the Mississippi Division meet in the MVC.

Sutton did not see his ball go in the hole on No.12, but one of his playing partners relayed the news quickly.

"I thought I hit it good," said Sutton. "The pin was tucked back over a little hill on the green. Then the kid in my group yells, 'Hey, it went in!' And I'm like, 'Holy crap.'"

Sutton hit a 260-yard drive on the hole, then struck a 3-wood to within 50 yards. He used a sand wedge for the eagle. He also had three birdies and two bogeys on his memorable round of 69.

"I've shot lower just playing out here with friends, but not in tournaments," he said. "There's a little bit more pressure.

"I made a lot of putts today," he said. "It's nice when the putts go in, especially on aerated greens."

Sutton holds an insurmountable 15-shot lead in the Mississippi Division standings after 36 holes. He fired a 59 at Airport National in the MVC Super Meet Aug. 15 and has a two-round total of 128. Two of his Kennedy teammates, Conner Koberg and Ross Grekoff, are tied for second place at 143.

The final round in the MVC tournament will be held Sept. 30 at The Meadows Golf Course in Dubuque.

Sutton's father played on the golf team at the University of Northern Iowa and tried his hand in a few pro events, but he was mostly a teaching pro at the Wildcat course in Shellsburg.

"I grew up, from when I was about 10, playing at Wildcat about every day, just going out there with my dad," said Sutton, smiling. "Free lessons. It was nice."

Sutton's father admires Davis Love III, which partially explains how Sutton got his first name. It also helped that his paternal grandmother's maiden name was Davis. That clinched the deal, steering young Davis toward a golf course.

Sutton appreciates all the help his father has given him over the years. His friends and teammates also get free lessons and free club repairs from Bill Sutton, who teaches physics at Benton Community High School.

"It's nice," said Sutton. "I get to practice whenever I want. I live five minutes from here (Ellis Park). I can come out here whenever I want.

"It's nice, living the dream at 16, playing golf whenever I want."

Sutton hopes to play golf in college. He's already received feelers from Iowa and Iowa State, but is looking beyond state borders.

"I want to go to Michigan," he said. "I've talked a little bit with their coaches. You don't really know how good you're going to get in the next year or two."

Sutton is pretty good right now. His 3-under 69 Monday topped the runnerup by seven strokes. Kennedy won Monday's round by 22 shots and has a 38-shot lead after 36 holes.

MISSISSIPPI DIVISION MEET
At Ellis Park

Team Standings

1. Kennedy 303, 2. Jefferson 325, 3. Dubuque Senior 331, 4. Iowa City West 338, 5. Iowa City High 342, 6. Hempstead 354, 7. Waterloo East 446.

Top 10 Individiduals
Par 72

1. Davis Sutton, Kennedy        69
2. Jacob Kirman, Dubuque Sr.  76
3. Conner Koberg, Kennedy     77
Mitch Willems, Jefferson       77
5. Cole Murdock, Kennedy       78
6. Tanner Stewart, Kennedy   79
Ross Grekoff, Kennedy        79
8. Seth Nutt, Kennedy           80
9. Jake Van Oort, Jefferson     81
Grant Higgins, IC West        81

Other Jefferson scores - Adam Van Oort 83, Zach Denny 84, Jake Hansen 84, Derik Brimmer 99.

36 Hole Division Standings

1. Kennedy 556, 2. Dubuque Senior 594, 3. Jefferson 597, 4. Iowa City West 610, 5. Iowa City High 649, 6. Hempstead 651, 7. Waterloo East 827

36 Hole Leaders
(Includes MVC Super Meet at Airport National)

1. Davis Sutton, Kennedy         59-69=128
2. Jacob Kirman, Dubuque Sr.   65-76=141
3. Conner Koberg, Kennedy      66-77=143
Ross Grekoff, Kennedy          64-79=143
5. Seth Nutt, Kennedy            64-80=144
Mitch Willems, Jefferson        67-77=144
7. Jake Van Oort, Jefferson      65-81=146
8. Noah Frederici, IC West       65-83=148
9. J.D. Goodfellow, IC West     67-82=149
Adam Van Oort, Jefferson    66-83=149
Chris Foley, Dubuque Sr.      66-83=149
Gus Zaccaro, Dubuque Sr.   65-84=149