Jun. 17—Steady and solid. No figurative fireworks.
Simply put, Max Steinlechner and Jerry Ji each successfully navigated the par-70 Sunnehanna Country Club course on a sunny and windy Wednesday afternoon.
Playing in the third group in the morning, Steinlechner, a North Carolina State golfer from Innsbruck, Austria, made an eagle putt on the par-5 No. 11 and had two of his three birdies and one bogey on the back nine to finish at 4-under 66 and hold a share of the first-round lead with Ji in the 68th Sunnehanna Amateur Tournament for Champions.
“I didn’t really start fast,” Steinlechner said. “I kept everything together with some good par putts on the front nine. I was able to make a good birdie on 5 and just stayed in there. Then on the back nine I was able to make eagle on 11. I hit 9-iron to 15 feet and made the putt. That was certainly a boost of momentum.
“I tried to keep it up but unfortunately, I 3-putted on 14 from all across the green. Then I was able to make two birdies coming in.”
Similarly, Ji had six birdies and two bogeys to finish at 4-under 66. The University of Illinois player from Hoofddorf, Netherlands, shared the lead in a field of 100 golfers.
“I just played solid throughout the day,” Ji said. “I hit many fairways and I strong-sided the pins. I just made a couple putts.
“Everything went my way and I shot 4-under, which is pretty good on this course.”
Ji made birdie putts on 1, 3, 4, 10, 11 and 13. He had bogeys on 6 and 12.
“I didn’t really have a long putt that fell in, but I made some really good putts and that basically was the day,” Ji said.
Duke University player Ian Siebers of Bellevue, Washington, made three birdies on the back nine to finish at 3-under 67 for third place.
“I really felt confident going into the back nine,” Siebers said.
“I made a lot of birdies actually in the two practice rounds that I played. I feel like the back nine really suits me well. I was able to stick a couple wedges close and make a couple putts.
“Everything went right for me.
“I just like how there is some variety in the holes,” he added.
“I like how you have to hit a lot of different shots in your bag, and it really tests every part of your game.”
Defending Sunnehanna Amateur champion Preston Summerhays opened with a 1-over 71. In the 2020 event played in July due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Summerhays tied the Sunnehanna Amateur record with a 14-under 266 (Allen Doyle, 1992) and became the youngest player to win the Amateur.
“I didn’t get off to the best start. I was 3-over through 5,” said Summerhays, who had bogeys on holes 2, 4 and 5.
“I know this course is tough and I know I have the game to make birdies on it so I just stayed patient,” added the Scottsdale, Arizona, golfer who is an Arizona State commit.
“I got three birdies (8, 11, 15) and got to even going into 18. I bogeyed 18.
“It’s playing a lot tougher this year. The rough has grown up, thickened up a lot. A 71, I don’t think is a terrible score. I’m still in it.”
Last year’s runner-up, University of Texas player Travis Vick of Houston, shot a 2-under 68 on Wednesday, closing with a long, par-saving putt on No. 18.
“I had a bunch of really good par saves out there,” Vick said.
“The putter was really good today. I think 14 specifically was a big hole. I was 2-under at that point and made a 20-footer for par. It was nice to cap off with a 15-footer on 18.”
Vick had birdie putts on 1, 3, 8, 11 and 13. He had bogeys on 5, 6 and 9.
“It’s playing a lot different than last year,” Vick said. “Last year, the final round it was very soft where you could attack pins and the ball would stop right next to it and you didn’t have to worry about the greens being fast and firm.
“The greens are pretty fast.
“They sped them up. Depending on where they put the pin locations, they can make it pretty hard.”
Vick was among a group of six players tied for fourth at 2-under. Others included Julian Perico, Clay Merchant, Karl Villips, Jamie Cheatham and Lundell Carson.
Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.