Processing your payment, please wait.

Davenport Leads with First-Round 66

May 11, 2023

What Happened

The 42nd Mid-Amateur Championship got underway on Wednesday. Will Davenport took the first-round lead with a 4-under 66. In total, 84 players teed it up at Royal Poinciana Golf Club with hopes of advancing to match play. 

Davenport got off to a strong start, carding a bogey-free front side with three-straight birdies on Nos. 6-8. He kept it rolling on the back side, playing the first five holes at 3 under. The Palm City native finished the day at 4-under 66 to hold a one-shot lead over the field. Three players sit in a tie for second at 3 under: Nathan Bertsch, Jay Halverson and Tyler Manning. 

Abbie Valentine and Rhett Pooley sit tied for fifth at 2-under 68.

What’s Next

The second round of stroke-play seeding will take place on Friday morning, with the low 32 players advancing to the match play in the afternoon.

Notable

  • Only 10 players finished the day at under-par or better
  • Grant, who shot a first-round 69, is the 2022 Mid-Amateur Stroke Play champion after capturing the title at Pensacola Country Club.
  • Four players finished the day with six birdies: Valentine, Alex Bury, Manning and Davenport.
  • The low 32 players after Friday’s second will advance to match play, which will begin on Friday afternoon.
  • The Pines Course at Royal Poinciana Golf Club (par 70) played to a 74.21 average score.
  • Patrick Gaines was the lone players in the field to card an eagle.
  • The par-4 15th hole played the hardest in the first round, playing to an average score of 5.04.

Quotable

“I had a really solid front nine. It was a flawless front nine with three birdies. The back nine stalled out a little bit, but overall a really solid day.” – Nathan Bertsch on his first-round 67

“It was fantastic out there. This facility is awesome, and it’s a treat to be here. The course couldn’t have played better. I thought it played tough, there were a lot of challenging holes out there.” –  Will Davenport on how the course played

“It was good, solid round out there and the course is in great shape. I just need to stick to my game plan and drive it straight in the fairways. There are a couple challenging holes out there, where par is a good score.” – Tyler Manning on his first round

Round 1 Results | Second Round Pairings | Hole-By-Hole Scoring