Erik Dulik
ROCKVILLE, Md. — Erik Dulik, from Great Falls, Va., conquered Woodmont Country Club's North Course and miserable weather conditions to record the only sub-par total — a 1-under 71 — in the opening round of the 109th Middle Atlantic Amateur Championship.
Dulik, 18, a co-medalist (and semi-finalist) in the recent Washington Metropolitan Amateur, shot 37-34 against par of 36-36 over a 7,010-yard layout. He started at No. 10, had three birdies and a bogey on the back, then bogeyed the seventh.
This effort shared the spotlight with the weather, as there was rain on and off all day in windy conditions, as the temperature never climbed out of the low 60's. Cold, raw, wet, miserable was the order of the day, making for some tough conditions.
Connor Tendall, of Potomac; Even Katz, of Washington, and Bennett Buch, West Friendship, finished two strokes back at 73, trailed by Parker Williams, Bethesda, and Bart George, Arnold, with morning 74's, and Mark Cusic, California, and Denny McCarthy, Rockville, with the same score in the afternoon.
Tendall, 22, another Met Am semifinalist, racked up six birdies (a tap-in and putts in the 8-20-foot range) to go with five bogeys and a double-bogey. "Many of the holes played extremely hard, like 4 (350 yards), but I was fortunate to get up-and-down [for par] a few times," he said. He has completed his athletic eligibility at the University, but is currently enrolled in three classes to satisfy graduation requirements.
Katz, 17, and a Landon School junior, started on the back, had a birdie and two bogeys, then had two of each on the front. "I only hit seven greens, but had a lot of up-and-downs and managed to make some putts when I did reach the greens [in regulation]." Earlier this summer, he beat Mike Stackus (Maryland State Amateur finalist) in a playoff for the final berth in qualifying for the U.S. Amateur.
Buch, 17, a Marriott's Ridge High School senior, began at 10 with a birdie and finished that side with two bogeys, then had two apiece on the front, which featured birdies at both par 5's.
Among the 74's, Williams shot the back 1-over, then posted eight pars before closing with a 74; George had eight pars and a double-bogey at the 509-yard fifth, then had two birdies in matching par on the back; Cusic had four birdies, six bogeys, and rallied late with a par-bogey-par finish, and McCarthy, a Walker Cup player in England last month, said he had one bad swing (that led to a double-bogey at No. 9), to turn 3 over, then "made some putts," to dip 1 under on the back nine.
One of the six players at 75 was Ben Warnquist, 22, from Olney, the current Maryland State Amateur champion, who ended the front nine with three straight bogeys, but rallied on the back with a couple of birdies to finish even for the nine.
Of the 116 starters, with ten early withdrawals, 26 shot at least 86. That's probably not a record, but was certainly indicative of the conditions.
ABOUT THE Middle Atlantic Amateur
54-hole stroke play championship. The field is cut to
the low 60 scores and ties after round two. Open to
members of member clubs of the Middle Atlantic
Golf
Association, and by invitation.
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