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