At -3, Chip Lutz leads Amateurs at the Senior British Open

July 26, 2018 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff

Chip Lutz shot 69 at the Old Course (Staysure Tour photo)

The three-time British Senior Amateur champion was low amateur last year and is off to a good start with a 69 on the Old Course

UPDATE: There will be no low amateur award winner in the 2018 Senior British Open at St. Andrews. None of the eight amateurs managed to make the cut.

Chip Lutz (Reading, PA) followed his opening-round 69 with an unexpected and shocking 83, going from 4 shots back of the lead to missing the cut.

Gene Elliott (W. Des Moines, IA) had the best second round among the amateurs with a 69, but he missed the cut by one shot at 2-over 146.

Ryan Howison (Jupiter, FL) was 3 under for his round on the back nine but bogeyed three straight holes from the 15th and shot 72 for a 149 total.

Final Amateur Leaderboard

77-69=146 (MC) Gene Elliott, USA
77-72=149 (MC) Ryan Howison, USA
71-79=150 (MC) Robert Maxfield, England
76-75=151 (MC) Mats Dornell, Sweden
69-83=152 (MC) Chip Lutz, USA
77-75=152 (MC) G.S. Lacy, England
78-75=153 (MC) Mike McCoy, USA
79-75=154 (MC) Bryan Hughes, England

ROUND ONE RECAP

ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND (July 26, 2018) - On a day of good scoring at St. Andrews, Chip Lutz (Reading, PA) shot a 3-under 69 to lead the amateur contingent at the Senior British Open after round one on the Old Course.

Lutz, the winner of the 2015 U.S. Senior Amateur and three British Senior Amateur championships (2011, 2012, 2016), was the low amateur in last year's Senior British Open and looks to be in good position to do the same this year.

Related: 2017: In Wales, Lutz is Low Amateur at Senior Open Championship

Last year, the weather at Royal Porthcawl was the story, with high wind and rain allowing only two players in the field to finish the tournament under par. This year, with the course awash in sunshine and the fairways running fast, red numbers were everywhere.

Round One of the #SeniorOpen is underway under blue skies. pic.twitter.com/tm0LVXcXlD
— Staysure Tour (@StaysureTour) July 26, 2018

Lutz went out in 3-under 33, with birdies at 3, 6, and 8. Turning back into the wind, he played the back nine in even par, with a bogey at 15 offset by a birdie on the final hole.

Other American amateurs didn't fare so well. Gene Elliott, Ryan Howison, and Mike McCoy, who traveled to Scotland and made it through open qualifying on Monday, shot 77, 77, and 78 respectively.

Related: Elliott, McCoy, Howison qualify for Senior Open in Scotland

In all, eight amateurs are in the field this week: four Americans, three Englishmen (including the reigning British Senior Amateur champion Bryan Hughes), and one Swede.

Related: Hughes Breaks American Grip on the British Senior Amateur

The cut will be made after Friday's second round, with the final 36 holes played over the weekend.

Amateur Leaderboard

69 (T17) Chip Lutz, USA
71 (T41) Robert Maxfield, England
76 (T108) Mats Dornell, Sweden
77 (T122) Ryan Howison, USA
77 (T122) Gene Elliott, USA
77 (T122) G.S. Lacy, England
78 (T133) Mike McCoy, USA
79 (T138) Bryan Hughes, England

Results: Senior British Open

Place	Player	Location	Scores
MC	Gene Elliott	W. Des Moines, IA	77-69=146
MC	Ryan Howison	Jupiter, FL	77-72=149
MC	Robert Maxfield	, England	71-79=150
MC	Mats Dornell	, Sweden	76-75=151
MC	Chip Lutz	Reading, PA	69-83=152

View full results for Senior British Open

About the Senior British Open

At -3, Chip Lutz leads Amateurs at the Senior British Open

The Senior British Open Championship has been part of the European Seniors Tour since 1987 and from 2003 is included in the Champions Tour as one of the five major world events in senior golf. The event is jointly administered by the European Seniors...