Charleston, South Carolina, United States: New Zealand’s Joshua Bai posted a 66 to gain a share of the opening-day lead in the 75th US Junior Amateur Championship at Daniel Island Club.
Joining Bai atop the leaderboard are Americans Will Hartman, Tommy Morrison, Carson Kim and Andrew Gregory.
Bai and Gregory shot their six-under-par scores on the par-72 Ralston Creek Course. Hartman, Morrison and Kim were five-under on the par-71 Beresford Creek Course.
Bai, who is playing in his second US Junior Amateur, canned nine birdies, including his last two holes, against three bogeys.
“It was a pretty chill day. I was hitting the ball well leading up to this event, so I thought if I just keep hitting fairways and hitting greens, then putts would fall and that’s exactly what happened today. It was a pretty cruisy round,” reflected Bai, who will represent the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation in next week's Ryder Cup-style Bonallack Trophy team match play event against Europe in Spain.
China’s Qiu Zihang was one of three players to fire a four-under-par 68 at Ralston Creek.
Other Asia-Pacific players inside the cut line after day one were Australians Harry Takis (tied 10th, three-under) and Joseph Buttress (tied 16th, two-under), China’s Fang Zeqian, New Zealander Zackary Swanwick, Chinese Taipei’s Chen Chi-chun and Thai Pongsapak Laopakdee (tied 26th, one-under).
Among those outside the cut line in joint 70th place at one-over are China’s Fang Zekun and Hou Zenghao, New Zealander Robby Turnbull, Indonesian Rayhan Latief and Japan’s Taishi Moto.
At two-over in equal 95th are China’s Chang Xihuan and Zhou Yanhan, while Hong Kong China’s Darren Zhou and Chinese Taipei’s Stanley Lin are among those at three-over, tied for 118th.
Singapore’s Daryl Low is a further shot back, while Thai Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat has his work cut out to qualify for the match play stage. At five-over after a round containing eight bogeys against three birdies, TK is languishing in equal 165th position. The 16-year-old is the highest rated player in the field at 25th in World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Round two of stroke play will take place on Tuesday. Players will switch courses, after which the field of 264 will be reduced to the low 64 scores for match play.
Should a play-off be necessary to fill the remaining spots in the bracket, it will take place on the Beresford Creek Course (holes nine, 10 and 8) on Wednesday beginning at 7 am local time. All of the matches will take place on Ralston Creek, starting at 8 am on Wednesday.
