What Happened
Jake Beber-Frankel and Jonah Wasserstrom lead the way at the 106th Amateur Championship, as the first round got underway on Thursday at Turtle Creek Club and Abacoa Golf Club. Beber-Frankel and Wasserstrom both fired a 5-under 67 at Abacoa to take a one-shot lead over the field.
After a bogey to start the day, Beber-Frankel played the remainder of the front nine bogey free with four birdies. The Stanford Cardinal kept it rolling on the back nine with three more birdies. He finished with a bogey on the 18th to take a share of the lead at 5-under 67.
Wasserstrom got off to a strong start on Thursday with a bogey-free first nine and two birdies. He didn’t lose steam on the back nine, birdieing his first three holes. The Hollywood native ran into some trouble on the fourth, finishing with a double bogey. He quickly bounced back with three-straight birdies on Nos. 5-7 to finish the day tied at the top at 5-under 67.
Two players finished the day in a tie for third place at 4-under 68: Matthew Soucinek and Marc Dull. Soucinek birdied his last three holes of the day at Abacoa to post a first-round 68, while Dull carded four birdies on his second nine to finish the day in a tie for third.
The competition is tight at the top of the leaderboard with 27 players sitting within four shots of the lead.
What’s Next
The second round of the Amateur Championship will begin Friday with a cut to low 70 and ties following the second round.
Notable
- Eighty-four players teed it up at Turtle Creek, while 84 players teed it up at Abacoa.
- Twenty-seven players finished the day under par.
- Wasserstrom finished the day with the most birdies at eight, while Beber-Frankel, Dull and Soucinek all carded seven in the first round.
- The 2006 Amateur champion and University of North Florida assistant coach, Jeff Dennis posted a 3-under 69 on Thursday.
- Each of the par 72 golf courses played over par for the day. Turtle Creek played to a 75.74 average score, while Abacoa played to a 74.84 average score.
Quotable
"I was frustrated, but I was really lucky that I hit a great shot in on the fifth and had a six-foot putt. I made that and it really helped me bounce back because otherwise I don’t know where I would have been. I made a lot of putt today and looking forward to tomorrow." – Jonah Wasserstrom on bouncing back after a double on the fourth hole
"I didn’t feel great when I got here. I hadn’t played since the U.S. Four-Ball a few weeks ago. I made a long putt on the first hole and that settled me down a little bit. I just hit the ball really solid today, made a bunch of putts – it was a pretty solid round out there today." – Marc Dull on his first-round 68
“I just need to keep the same mindset, hit fairways and greens, and just give myself some good chances and stay patient. Having patience is the only way to make sure I need to get it done this week.” – Matthew Soucinek
“Honestly, it’s just a breath of fresh air. I get to watch guys play all year, so finally I get my chance to compete. I’m pretty excited and stoked to be playing.” – UNF assistant coach, Jeff Dennis on competing this week at the Amateur
