PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – The 108th Amateur Championship is officially underway, with a field of 168 players competing across the East and South courses at BallenIsles Country Club.
What Happened?
There was a clear divide between the two courses on opening day. Players who teed it up on the East course faced a much tougher challenge. In fact, none of the top 15 scorers came from that side. The South course proved more forgiving, offering players a chance to find rhythm and go low. Leading the way is Derek Busby, Santiago Navarro, and William Block who ball fired a 6-under (66) to share the top spot after round one.
Colton Swartz made an early statement with an albatross on the par-5 9th hole of the South Course, becoming the first player to reach 4-under on the day. He would go on to sign for a 3-under 69, positioning himself in T4 place heading into round two.
Santiago Navarro’s back nine was nothing short of electric. The Winter Garden native caught fire with five straight birdies from holes 12 through 16, adding another on the 18th to close with authority. Block, meanwhile, had just one misstep, a bogey on the 11th, but quickly bounced back with a string of birdies of his own on the closing stretch.
Busby had quite the colorful scorecard. He carded two eagles, five birdies and three bogeys on his way to a 6-under (66) to grab a share of the lead.
Over on the East Course, the low round of the day belonged to Lance LaCombe, who posted an even-par 72. While he may not sit atop the leaderboard, LaCombe held his own on the demanding layout, where on a course like the East, even par is often your friend.
Thomas Korona captured second place with a 4-under (68). Third place was occupied by three players, Colton Swartz, Joseph Trim, and Luke Balaskiewicz, all carding 3-under (69).
What’s Next?
Tomorrow play will continue with another round of 18 holes as the players will swap courses before the cut. After the completion of the second round tomorrow the field will be cut to the low 70 players and ties. The final 36 holes will be played on the East Course. Tee times begin at 7:45 AM tomorrow.
Notable
- Colton Swartz had an albatross on the par 5 9th hole on the South course
- Santiago Navarro carded five consecutive birdies, from the 12th hole to the 16th hole on the South Course
- Santiago Navarro, Derek Busby, and William Block shared the low round of the day, firing off 6-under (66).
- No one who played on the East Course during the first round finished within the top 15
Quotable
“Hit every green on the first 9, but the greens and grain were tough, it took a little while to figure those out. On 10, I birdied. Then I got in a rhythm and was trying to be aggressive out there, and it ended up being a good round.” — Thomas Korona on his first round 68 (-4)
“After our practice round yesterday, we noticed that the back on the south was very gettable. I definitely wasn’t driving the ball well, but putts outside of 20 feet were good.” — William Block on his first round 66 (-6)
“When putts started going in I just tried to keep myself calm and stick to my strategy. My strategy was to hit as many fairways as possible and only going for the middle of the greens, they are tricky” — Santiago Navarro on his strategy during the first round
