VERO BEACH, Fla. – The Moorings at Hawk’s Nest has proved to be a beautiful but challenging stage for the 44th Mid-Amateur Championship. With firm, fast conditions and a layout that demands precision, the leaderboard changed dramatically and often, setting the stage for a very exciting few days.
What Happened?
Early in the day, several players managed to dip into red figures, but Hawk’s Nest quickly showed its bite. With tight fairways, accuracy off the tee was essential. As play continued and players made their way to their back nine, the red numbers started to dwindle.
Lance LaCombe surged to the early lead with three birdies on the front nine, then added another on the 11th hole to reach 4-under, the low mark of the day at that point. However, a double bogey on the 12th hole halted his momentum. Despite the stumble, LaCombe maintained a one-shot edge, with several challengers close behind.
Reigning Amateur and Mid-Amateur Player of the Year, Will Davenport, opened strong with a birdie on the first hole. He briefly fell back after a double bogey at the third hole, but fought back to reach 1-under by the turn. Davenport would trade back birdies and bogeys throughout the rest of his round, but ultimatley finish 1-under.
The round of the day came from 2014 Mid-Amateur Champion Thad Hudgens, who rebounded from back-to-back bogeys to start his round. He would use a cumulative eight birdies en route to a 5-under 67, three shots clear of the closest contender. Hudgens capped of his round with birdies on the 17th and 18th holes, giving him an extra edge.
LaCombe, Rhett Pooley, and Jimmy Kozikowski each posted solid rounds of 2-under 70 to share second place, while Davenport, Ty Capps, and Scott Turner sit tied for fifth after opening with 1-under 71.
Despite sitting high on the leaderboard, contendors have their eyes turned towards match play-- getting through stroke play and making the cut is all that matters.
What’s Next?
Stroke play continues tomorrow morning with an 8:00 AM shotgun start for Round Two. At the conclusion of play, the field will be cut to the low 32 players for match play. The Round of 32 will begin at 1:30 PM, with matches going off both the 1st and 10th tees.
