TRUCKEE, Calif. – Scottie Scheffler, 17, of Dallas, and Corey Eddings, 17, of Roseville, Calif., fired rounds of 5-under-par 67 Monday to share the lead on the first day of stroke-play qualifying in the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at the par-72, 7,740-yard Martis Camp Club.
Their scores were one stroke off the course record of 66, which is held by four players. Scheffler carded one eagle, four birdies and one bogey in the morning. Eddings matched Scheffler’s 67 less than one hour later, including a 4-under 32 on the inward nine.
The U.S. Junior Amateur Championship consists of 36 holes of stroke play followed by six rounds of match play, with the championship scheduled to conclude with a 36-hole final on Saturday, July 27, starting at 7 a.m. PDT.
The U.S. Junior Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
Scheffler, who advanced to the Round of 32 last year and is playing in his fourth U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, started on the 10th hole and shot 2-under 34 on his first nine with birdies on Nos. 15 and 16. He eagled the par-5 fourth when he struck a 240-yard, 4-iron approach to within 15 feet. He added a birdie on the par-4 sixth, before his 6-foot par putt slid by the left side on the ninth, his last hole of the day.
I hit it pretty well. said Scheffler, who found all 14 fairways. I was hitting the spots I was trying to aim at. I was trying to build a little bit of confidence going into match play. I just played solid.
Like Scheffler, Eddings had an opportunity to match the course record, but his 25-foot birdie attempt on the par-4 18th grazed the hole. Eddings, who is participating in his second Junior Amateur and reached the first round of match play last year, was 2-under overall before making birdies on Nos. 12, 13 and 16. He drilled a long, downhill putt from off the green on the 12th and hit a pitch to 3 feet on the 312-yard, par-4 16th.
It’s pretty surreal to do it [shoot a low score] in this tournament, said Eddings, who said he went into the round with a game plan for every shot. I’ve shot these numbers before but it’s pretty cool to do it here in a USGA event. The putter was really good. Every time I missed a green I got up and down.
Cameron Young, 16, of Scarborough, N.Y., was one behind the leaders in the 156-player field with a 4-under-par 68. Young, who just finished his sophomore year at Fordham Prep, started on the 10th hole. He birdied No. 14 before making eagle at No. 15 when he hit a 4-iron 240 yards to 2 feet. Young kept his round going by getting up and down for par at No. 11 and two-putting from 65 feet for another save at the 218-yard, par-3 third.
I am playing conservatively off the tee, said Young, who took three weeks off in June to recover from a shoulder injury. I am picking my spots when I am going at flagsticks and at the middle of greens.
George Cunningham, of Tucson, Ariz., who last week advanced to the Round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, turned in the best round of the afternoon wave. The 17-year-old joined a group of five players at 3-under-par 69. Cunningham birdied three of the four par 5s on the course, but finished with a bogey on No. 18.
I couldn’t hit the ball much better; all of it was solid, said Cunningham, who is making his fourth Junior Amateur appearance. My game is better coming in [to the championship] that the past three. I obviously have more experience.
Jim Liu, the 2010 U.S. Junior Amateur champion, also carded a 3-under 69. Liu, 17, of Smithtown, N.Y., who is playing in his fifth Junior Amateur and was the runner-up last year, had it to 5-under after 15 holes but bogeyed Nos. 16 and 18. He pulled his driver to the left on the 16th, a drivable par-4, and his chip went over the green. Liu lipped out a 6-foot par putt on his final hole.
It was a good score; you have to feel somewhat decent about it, Liu said. You are trying not to dig a hole for yourself. It starts all over in match play.
Sam Horsfield, 16, of England, and Alvaro Oritz, 17, of Mexico, joined two other players at 2-under-par 70. Horsfield, who advanced to the Round of 16 at last week’s U.S. Amateur Public Links and won the Florida State Amateur in June by 11 strokes, birdied three consecutive holes on the inward nine. He ended that run by holing a 50-footer from the back fringe on the 227-yard, par-3 17th. Ortiz, whose brother Carlos recently qualified for his second U.S. Amateur, birdied each of the par 5s to highlight his round.
Wilson Furr, 15, of Jackson, Miss., was the youngest player in the field to break par and one of 16 competitors overall to do so on the first day of stroke play. He had six birdies with five bogeys for a 71.
Brian DePasquale is a manager of championship communications for the USGA. Email him at bdepasquale@usga.org.
Results
TRUCKEE, Calif. – Results of Monday’s first round of stroke play at the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, played at 7,740-yard, par-72 Martis Camp Club.
Corey Eddings, Roseville, Calif. - 35-32--67
Scottie Scheffler, Dallas, Texas - 33-34--67
Cameron Young, Scarborough, N.Y. - 35-33--68
Aaron Terrazas, Bluffton, S.C. - 36-33--69
Jim Liu, Smithtown, N.Y. - 34-35--69
Jorge Antonio Garcia, Venezuela - 35-34--69
Jack Comstock, Jacksonville, Fla. - 33-36--69
George Cunningham, Tucson, Ariz. - 35-34--69
Adam Wood, Zionsville, Ind. - 37-33--70
Sam Horsfield, England - 36-34--70
Zachary Bauchou, Forest, Va. - 35-35--70
Alvaro Ortiz, Mexico - 37-33--70
Jeremy Wall, Brielle, N.J. - 37-34--71
Wilson Furr, Jackson, Miss. - 34-37--71
Tyler Moore, Escondido, Calif. - 37-34--71
Davis Riley, Hattiesburg, Miss. - 39-32--71
Coleman Self, Greenwood, S.C. - 37-35--72
Daniel Connolly, San Francisco, Calif. - 36-36--72
Brad Dalke, Hobart, Okla. - 38-34--72
John Augenstein, Owensboro, Ky. - 36-36--72
Pablo Torres, Colombia - 41-32--73
Cole Berman, Rosemont, Pa. - 38-35--73
Derek Castillo, Yorba Linda, Calif. - 38-35--73
Trevor Phillips, Inman, S.C. - 36-37--73
Mitchell Schow, Ogden, Utah - 37-36--73
Ben Doyle, La Jolla, Calif. - 38-35--73
Blake Fiest, Huntersville, N.C. - 37-37--74
Michael Pisciotta, Alpharetta, Ga. - 35-39--74
Cheng Jin, People's Republic of China - 40-34--74
Jeffrey Swegle, West Des Moines, Iowa - 37-37--74
Jae Hoon Kim, Republic of Korea - 35-39--74
Will Grimmer, Cincinnati, Ohio - 36-38--74
Bryce Evon, Canada - 38-36--74
P. J. Samiere, Kailua, Hawaii - 35-39--74
Benjamin Griffin, Chapel Hill, N.C. - 37-37--74
Matthew Lowe, Farmingdale, N.Y. - 39-35--74
William Gordon, Davidson, N.C. - 36-38--74
Keenan Huskey, Greenville, S.C. - 38-36--74
Spencer Ralston, Gainesville, Ga. - 38-36--74
Dean Sakata, Diamond Bar, Calif. - 36-38--74
Matthew Perrine, Austin, Texas - 39-35--74
Austin Connelly, Irving, Texas - 37-37--74
Nick Hardy, Northbrook, Ill. - 36-38--74
Will Minton, Raleigh, N.C. - 37-37--74
Wes Artac, Kingwood, Texas - 38-36--74
Thaddeus Obecny II, Wheeling, W.Va. - 40-34--74
Sam Meuret, Brunswick, Neb. - 38-36--74
Lucas Herbert, Australia - 40-34--74
Jacob Joiner, Albany, Ga. - 40-34--74
Chase Johnson, Barberton, Ohio - 38-37--75
William Pollock, Eugene, Ore. - 37-38--75
Ryan Fowler, Warren, Ohio - 37-38--75
Jooho Lee, Canada - 40-35--75
William Register, Burlington, N.C. - 36-39--75
Davis Richards, China Grove, N.C. - 39-36--75
Paul Stankey, Eden Prairie, Minn. - 38-37--75
Brian Mogg, Sammamish, Wash. - 38-37--75
Tiger Lee, Hong Kong China - 36-40--76
Nick Heinen, Edmond, Okla. - 39-37--76
Cole Dillon, Manhattan, Kan. - 39-37--76
Vasili Kartos, Birmingham, Ala. - 38-38--76
Kristian Caparros, Hollywood, Fla. - 38-38--76
Ryan Ruffels, Australia - 41-35--76
Matt Echelmeier, Columbia, Mo. - 37-39--76
Dan Woodbury, Upton, Mass. - 37-39--76
Zander Lozano, Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas - 40-36--76
Aaron Guanlao, Haslet, Texas - 38-38--76
Sam Burns, Shreveport, La. - 37-39--76
Shuai Ming Wong, People's Republic of China - 40-36--76
Amay Poria, Morgan Hill, Calif. - 40-36--76
Tyson Reeder, Edmond, Okla. - 35-41--76
J. D. Hughes, Carlisle, Pa. - 38-38--76
Jake Shuman, Needham, Mass. - 38-38--76
Sahith Theegala, Chino Hills, Calif. - 38-38--76
Joshua Seiple, Castle Rock, Colo. - 38-38--76
Patrick Murphy, Canada - 37-40--77
Cameron McRae, Little Rock, Ark. - 40-37--77
Justin Suh, San Jose, Calif. - 39-38--77
Patrick Flavin, Highwood, Ill. - 36-41--77
Paul Lei, Middleton, Mass. - 38-39--77
Jake Kelley, Littleton, Colo. - 42-35--77
Bradley Knox, Menlo Park, Calif. - 40-37--77
D. J. Vogt, Louisville, Ky. - 40-37--77
Kyle Hart, Midlothian, Va. - 39-38--77
Jackson Shoenfelt, Boynton Beach, Fla. - 39-38--77
Johnny Hyun, Irvine, Calif. - 38-39--77
Greg Gonzalez, Riverside, Calif. - 41-36--77
Sean Crocker, Zimbabwe - 40-37--77
Doug Ghim, Arlington Heights, Ill. - 41-36--77
Jonathan Keppler, Marietta, Ga. - 40-37--77
Blake Abercrombie, Rocklin, Calif. - 39-38--77
Michael Davis, Newtown Square, Pa. - 40-37--77
Corey Shaun, Encinitas, Calif. - 38-39--77
Victor Ponte, Camarillo, Calif. - 39-38--77
Brian Ohr, Northbrook, Ill. - 38-40--78
Sean Carlon, Albuquerque, N.M. - 42-36--78
Brian Carlson, Madison, Conn. - 38-40--78
Yu-Chuan Hsiang, Rowland Heights, Calif. - 39-39--78
Daniel Hudson, Western Springs, Ill. - 42-36--78
Marc Casullo, Canada - 40-38--78
Will Bernstein, New York, N.Y. - 41-37--78
Kaylor Steger, Sturtevant, Wis. - 40-38--78
Caleb Proveaux, Lexington, S.C. - 38-40--78
Maverick McNealy, Portola Valley, Calif. - 40-38--78
Luis Gagne, Costa Rica - 39-39--78
Theo Humphrey, Greenwich, Conn. - 42-37--79
Cody Riecks, Auburn, Calif. - 37-42--79
Ben Fuller, Birmingham, Ala. - 40-39--79
Kyler Tate, Winter Garden, Fla. - 38-41--79
Caleb Ramirez, Blythe, Calif. - 39-40--79
Ben Huizinga, Orlando, Fla. - 40-39--79
Harrison Frye, Gastonia, N.C. - 41-38--79
Bradley Keyer, Henderson, Nev. - 40-39--79
Jalen Griffin, Ambler, Pa. - 40-39--79
Andy Zhang, People's Republic of China - 40-39--79
Johnny Jones, Flower Mound, Texas - 42-38--80
Zecheng Dou, People's Republic of China - 39-41--80
Spencer Painton, Aurora, Colo. - 39-41--80
Jack Gianniny, Rochester, N.Y. - 38-42--80
Sawyer Shaw, West Palm Beach, Fla. - 39-41--80
Easton Paxton, Riverton, Wyo. - 40-40--80
Chris Navarro, Davidsonville, Md. - 40-40--80
Tennoshin Ogawa, Japan - 42-38--80
Cole Madey, West Linn, Ore. - 42-38--80
Graysen Huff, Eagle, Idaho - 41-39--80
Max Donohue, Sioux Falls, S.D. - 41-40--81
James Beckner, Kingsport, Tenn. - 40-41--81
Kai Ruiz, Mapleton, Utah - 42-39--81
Gustavo Morantes, Venezuela - 40-41--81
Aaron Wise, Lake Elsinore, Calif. - 40-41--81
Aaron Wirt, Des Moines, Iowa - 39-42--81
Preston Fleenor, Mission Hills, Kan. - 37-44--81
Camilo Mexsen, Mexico - 42-39--81
Riley Johnson, Fargo, N.D. - 41-40--81
Edwin Yi, Beaumont, Calif. - 43-39--82
Carey Bina, Villanova, Pa. - 37-45--82
Jon Pick, Canada - 42-40--82
Carter Mobley, Waynesboro, Ga. - 42-40--82
Matt Holuta, Indiana, Pa. - 41-41--82
Patrick Welch, Providence, R.I. - 42-40--82
Jack Fitzgerald, Wilmington, N.C. - 41-41--82
Levi Valadez, San Antonio, Texas - 39-43--82
John Souza, Phoenix, Ariz. - 41-41--82
Michael Cotton, Katy, Texas - 43-39--82
Ben Schlottman, Advance, N.C. - 45-38--83
Joshua Gliege, Eagle, Idaho - 40-43--83
Tobin Niblett, Austin, Texas - 44-40--84
Tyler Collier, Chico, Calif. - 42-42--84
Daniel Ault, Lansing, Mich. - 42-43--85
Jacob Lehman, Canada - 41-44--85
Ivan Camilo Ramirez, Colombia - 44-41--85
Samuel Sicard, Woodbury, Minn. - 44-41--85
Alex Blue, Cocoa Beach, Fla. - 46-41--87
Adam Button, Brentwood, Tenn. - 39-48--87
Jacob Henny, Norwalk, Conn. - 41-46--87
Nicholas Mitter, Brighton, Mich. - 40-50--90