By Jack Persons, AmateurGolf.com
TULSA, Okla. (July 8, 2014) -- Three players managed to fire three-under 67 at the Trans-Miss Championship
on Tuesday.
Will Zalatoris, Michael Gellerman, and Alex Franklin are tied for the lead at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa,
and have a two-shot advantage on the rest of the field.
Franklin, a rising senior at Oregon State, was the only player among the leaders to card a bogey-free round,
making birdies on the par-4 fourth, the par-3 11th, and the par-5 13th.
It was a far from perfect day for Franklin, however, as he did not hit nearly as many greens as he would have
liked.
“I didn’t really hit the ball great,” Franklin said. “I just did a really good job of scrambling, scraping it around,
and saving pars when I needed to.”
His co-leader, Michael Gellerman of the University of Oklahoma, notched six birdies on the day, coupled with
three bogeys. He shot four-under on Southern Hills’ difficult par-4s, one of which came at the 490-yard 16th
hole.
Will Zalatoris, an incoming freshman at Wake Forest, made five birdies and two bogeys on his way to a 67, as
he birdied three of his first four but gave one back on his last hole of the day.
Defending champion Bryson Dechambeau of Southern Methodist shot a three-over 73, and sits six back of the
leaders, tied for 42nd.
Other notables include 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur champion Scottie Scheffler, who shot one-over 71 and is tied
for 21st, and current California Amateur champion Xander Schauffele, who also posted 71.
The players averaged 74.34 on the par-70, 7104-yard layout in the first round. The course, which has hosted
nine major championships, proved difficult for the field, as only 13 of the 143 players came in under par on
Tuesday.
“Coming [to Southern Hills], after playing it a couple times, you understand why it’s had so many major
championships,” Franklin explained. “It’s a really, really good test of golf.”
The field will be cut to the low 50 players and ties after Wednesday’s second round. There are currently 59
players at three-over or better.
Play will resume Wednesday morning. For results from the first round and live scoring for the second, follow the
link below.
ABOUT THE Trans-Miss Championship
The Trans-Miss is one of the oldest and
most storied golf tournaments in the United
States.
For 106 years the championship
was played in a match play format.
Past champions include Jack Nicklaus (1958
and 1959), Charles Coe (1947, 1949, 1952 and
1956), Deane Beman (1960), George Archer
(1963), Ben Crenshaw (1972), Gary Koch
(1973), Bob Tway (1978), Mark Brooks (1978)
and other professional tour notables. In
1987 the championship was changed to a mid-
amateur age requirement, and a senior division
was also added. Starting in 2010, the Trans-
Mississippi Championship, returned to its roots
as an
open amateur tournament, and immediately
established itself as a "must-play" among
top collegiate and mid-am players, while
changing to
a 72-hole stroke play format. The field size
starts at
144 players from Trans-
Mississippi Golf Association member clubs (or
players receiving a special invitation from the
Championship Committee). After 36 holes, a cut
is
made to the low 54 and ties who play the final
two
rounds.
View Complete Tournament Information