GULF SHORES, AL (June 7, 2012) -- Blake Mozley leads the 96th State Amateur Championship at Kiva Dunes in Gulf Shores after shooting a bogey-free 69 and leads reigning State Junior champion Stewart Jolly of Mountain Brook and LSU, Hunter Hawkins of Valley Head and UAB, former Samford golf Andy McRae of Hoover and Fairhope’s Michael Ulmer, all of whom shot 70, by one.

The only other players to break par were Trussville and UAB’s Sam Love, defending champion Smylie Kaufman of Vestavia Hills and LSU, and Jared Betcher of Auburn, who all shot 71.

Mozley is 29 and lives in Albertville. He played golf for two years at UAB from 2001-03 before going back home and taking a break from golf for a few years.

He started working for his family’s flooring business and then started enjoying the game again after his extended break.

“Any time you have a round without a bogey you are happy; to do it in the State Amateur at a course (that can be very hard) like Kiva Dunes, you are thrilled.”

He made birdies on Nos. 2, 9 and 10 and played, in his words, pretty much stress-free golf.

“Yesterday (Wednesday) I don’t think I made a par in the practice round. I must say I had low expectations for today’s (Thursday’s) round. I think, in a way, that helped me.”

Mozley said the wind, which can be a big factor at this No. 1 ranked public access course in the state (Golfweek), was not a big issue.

Love at one time had his round to five-under-par after birdies on Nos. 2, 4, 6, 10 and 11, but stumbled coming home with four bogeys in his final seven holes.

The championship is four rounds of stroke play, with a cut made to the low 66 and ties after two rounds.

View results for Alabama State Amateur

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