It was high Tide Monday at the U.S. Amateur.
Two golfers from the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, the runner-up in the 2012 NCAA Championships, are near the top of the leader board after the first round of stroke play at Cherry Hills Country Club and CommonGround Golf Course.
And they’re joined there by the No. 1-ranked amateur golfer in the world, recent Western Amateur champion Chris Williams of Moscow, Idaho.
Bobby Wyatt of Mobile, Ala., shot a tournament-leading 7-under-par 64 at Cherry Hills, while Alabama teammate Justin Thomas (pictured), the college player of the year last season, was among those who posted a 5-under 65 at CommonGround.
“It didn’t surprise me at all” that Wyatt fired a 64 at Cherry Hills, Thomas said. “Bobby is an unbelievable player and he’s playing really good. I didn’t expect anything less from him.”
Said the 20-year-old Wyatt, winner of the Sunnehanna Amateur this year: “I hit it pretty well. I was just trying to play for position and hit it in smart places on the green. Fortunately, I left myself some simple putts — not necessarily close, but simple — and I was able to roll them in.”
Meanwhile, University of Washington golfer Williams was one of six players who shot 65 at CommonGround despite having never played the course before Monday.
Williams missed his flight to Denver on Friday night and didn’t get in until Saturday night, so his opportunity to play a practice round at CommonGround went by the wayside. But that didn’t seem to faze him in the least as he carded a bogey-free round at the course.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” the 21-year-old said. “I just decided to come out here and just hit fairways and greens and make some putts. And these greens are good enough to where you can make a lot of putts.”
No practice round at CommonGround “maybe (cost me) a shot or two, especially 18 with the blind second shot there. I didn’t really know where to hit it. I had a mid-iron into a par-5 and made par, so not too happy about that. But overall it was a good day.”
Joining Williams and Thomas with 65s at CommonGround were Sebastian Vazquez of Mexico, Brandon Hagy of Westlake Village, Calif., Max Homa of Valencia, Calif., and Zac Blair of Ogden, Utah. Out of that group, only Blair played in the windier afternoon conditions.
The players will switch courses for Tuesday’s second round, then the field will be cut from 312 to the 64 who will advance to match play. The match play portion of the event begins Wednesday and continues through Sunday’s 36-hole final.
Thomas hit all 18 greens in regulation Monday and played CommonGround’s three par-5s in 4 under par. He eagled the 636-yard third hole, hitting a 3-wood about 300 yards to 8 feet.
“I took advantage of my scoring opportunities; the par-5s really helped me,” he said. “I’m obviously going to be pleased anytime I shoot 65.”
Asked if his mindset was to particularly score low at CommonGround, Thomas said, “You can score but it’s still a good course. You’ve got to respect it. These pins are tough and it’s really firm. Obviously this is easier than Cherry Hills but it’s still a tough golf course, still a U.S. Am.”
Schoolcraft, Spray Fire 69s to Lead Coloradans: Seven of the nine golfers with strong Colorado connections who are competing in the U.S. Amateur this week will need to rally on Tuesday to advance to match play at Cherry Hills Country Club.
But Michael Schoolcraft of Englewood, whose home course is Cherry Hills, birdied three of his last five holes to shoot a 1-under-par 69 Monday at CommonGround Golf Course, the second site for the stroke-play portion of the event. And Justin Spray, who grew up in Colorado Springs, matched that score at CommonGround after two birdies on his final three holes.
Schoolcraft and Spray share 32nd place after round 1, and will need to remain in the top 64 to make match play, which begins Wednesday.
The next-best scores from Coloradans in Monday’s first round of stroke play were 2-over-par totals by Matt Schovee of Cherry Hills Village and Bryan Kruse of Westminster. Schovee shot a 73 at his home course of Cherry Hills, while Kruse had a 72 at CommonGround Golf Course,
But both those players faltered a little at the finish. Schovee bogeyed his last two holes, while Kruse played his last six holes in 4 over par.
Here are the scores for the other Colorado-connected players: Ryan Axlund of Denver 74 at CommonGround; Jeff Chapman of Denver 74 at CommonGround; Parker Edens of Greeley 74 at CommonGround; Eric Hallberg of Castle Rock 75 at Cherry Hills; and University of Denver golfer Andy Yang 83 at Cherry Hills.
Bobby Wyatt of Mobile, Ala., a University of Alabama golfer, leads after shooting a 7-under-par 64 at Cherry Hills on Monday.
The players will switch courses for Tuesday’s second round, then the field will be cut from 312 to the 64 who will advance to match play. After Monday, the golfers tied for 64th place were at 1 over par.
Notable: Former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway, a member at Cherry Hills, was the featured speaker Sunday night in the U.S. Amateur Players’ Dinner at the club. Elway talked about how top athletes deal with pressure. “I’m not going to let myself think of what it would be like to be a champion,” Elway told those in attendance. “All that does is put that (pressure) back on yourself. You can never want anything too bad. Take it one step at a time, one shot at a time, and stay in the moment.” … With 2011 PGA Championship winner Keegan Bradley taking a week off from PGA Tour golf, his caddie, Colorado-based Steve “Pepsi” Hale, was scheduled to caddie for Dylan Crowley at the U.S. Amateur. Crowley attends St. John’s, Bradley’s alma mater.
For U.S. Amateur scores, CLICK HERE.
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U.S. Amateur: All the Essentials
What: The 112th U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA championship.
When: Aug. 13-19. For Aug. 14 tee times, CLICK HERE.
Where: Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village (7,409 yards, par-71), and CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora (7,378 yards, par-70). Cherry Hills will be hosting its ninth USGA championship (3 U.S. Opens, 1 U.S. Women’s Open, 2 U.S. Amateurs, 1 U.S. Senior Open, 1 USGA Senior Amateur, 1 U.S. Mid-Amateur).
Format: 36 holes of stroke play Aug. 13 and 14, with each golfer playing 18 holes each at Cherry Hills and CommonGround. The top 64 players will advance to match play, which will be held exclusively at Cherry Hills. The first round of matches is Aug. 15, the second and third rounds are Aug. 16, the quarterfinals Aug. 17, the semifinals Aug. 18 and the 36-hole final is Aug. 19.
Starting Field: 312 players. (6,403 golfers originally sent in entries.)
Top Name Players Expected in Field: Jordan Spieth (2-time U.S. Junior Amateur champion, low amateur in 2012 U.S. Open), Beau Hossler (17-year-old led U.S. Open during second round), Gary Nicklaus (son of the legendary Jack Nicklaus), college player of the year Justin Thomas, 2011 Masters low amateur Hideki Matsuyama, 2012 NCAA Div. I champion Thomas Pieters.
Players in Field with Strong Colorado Ties: Ryan Axlund of Denver, Jeff Chapman of Denver, Parker Edens of Greeley, Eric Hallberg of Castle Rock, Bryan Kruse of Wesminster, Michael Schoolcraft of Englewood, Matt Schovee of Englewood, former Colorado Springs resident Justin Spray, DU golfer Andy Yang.
Winner Receives Exemptions In: 2013 Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, along with the next 10 U.S. Amateurs, providing he remains an amateur.
Tickets: Available at King Soopers stores and at TicketsWest.com. A daily ticket is $17.50. A weekly pass is $85. Kids 17 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
Television: Aug. 15 2-4 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 16 4:30-6:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 17 6:30-8:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 18 2-4 p.m., NBC; Aug. 19 2-4 p.m., NBC.
