Gingerich takes St. Augustine Amateur lead with course-record 62
October 11, 2019 | by
see also: View results for St. Augustine Am, St. Johns Golf Club
A nine-hour journey, four hours of sleep, and a course record are all in a day's work for Ty Gingerich
By Will Brown of the St. Augustine Record
Ty Gingerich’s domination of the St. Johns Golf Course began with his attempt to qualify for the Crooked Stick Collegiate Invitational.
Once he didn’t qualify for the 36-hole collegiate tournament in Indianapolis, the University of Cincinnati freshman made the nine-hour journey to the Ancient City for the St. Augustine Amateur.
Despite arriving in town shortly before 3 a.m., getting less than four hours of sleep and being at the No. 10 tee at the St. Johns Golf for his first shot a 9:18 Friday morning, the 19-year-old shot a tournament-record 62.
Photo Gallery
“I birdied (Nos.) 10 and 11,” Gingerich said. “I felt like I had put up some good momentum and confidence and tried to keep going.”
Gingerich made a four-foot birdie at No. 9 to break a tournament record set by U Minn Woon during the first round of the 2018 St. Augustine Amateur.
He leads Canadian Sudarshan Yellamaraju (4-under) by four strokes. Ponte Vedra Beach resident Michael Smith and Nocatee resident (and PGA Tour caddie) Paul Tesori are tied for third at 3-under.
Gingerich carded a bogey-free round on his first time playing the course. His tournament-record was four shots better than the best competitive round of his life.
He played 36 holes on Thursday, caught a flight at 5:45, landed at Dulles International, left Washington D.C. for Orlando at 10:30, landed in the City Beautiful at 12:30 a.m. Friday and drove to St. Augustine.
“I just tried to go play and do the best I could,” Gingerich said. “I was kind of bummed I didn’t qualify for the college tournament on Monday (and) Tuesday. I wanted to come down here and play well.”
Gingerich birdied Nos. 1, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14 and 17 to take command of the tournament. He leads a field of 73 golfers that are a combination of mid-amateurs, like Tesori and Smith, high school golfers and collegiate golfers.
The 16th St. Augustine Amateur featured Canadians, a Russian (Egor Zubov, 7-over), a Scotsman (Gary McDonald, 2-over) as well as a French teenager (Theodore Reitter, 1-under). But, the day belonged to Gingerich.
Afterward, he had no idea he was in line to shoot a 62. He knew he had a chance for 8-under, but forgot par was 70 instead of 72.
″It set up nicely,” Gingerich said about the St. Johns Golf Course. “It gave me a lot of wedges and short iron shots. I feel that’s a strength of my game, iron play. I felt like I drove the ball well and I set myself up in good shots out of the fairway to have good iron shots to help me in that regard.”
Results: St. Augustine Am
| Place | Player | Location | Pts | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carmel, IN | 300 | 62-67-71=200 | |
| T2 | Maitland, FL | 200 | 71-67-65=203 | |
| T2 | , Canada | 200 | 66-70-67=203 | |
| 4 | , Argentina | 100 | 71-65-68=204 | |
| 5 | Jupiter, FL | 100 | 72-64-71=207 |
About the St. Augustine Am
The St. Augustine Amateur is a national event established in 2004 for touramateur and collegiate players. The 54-hole stroke play, walking only, competition is conducted over three days with no cut. The player caddies, walking referees, standard bear...
Most Popular Articles
Rory McIlroy Wins 2026 Seminole Pro-Member With Dad Gerry
Mar 2, 2026Rory McIlroy added another trophy to the mantle on golf’s most exclusive Monday, teaming with father Gerry at Seminole Golf Club.
U.S. Open Qualifying 2026: Local & Final Qualifying Sites for Shinnecock
Feb 19, 2026The road to Shinnecock Hills begins in April as 110 local qualifying sites and 13 final qualifying venues are set.
FINAL RESULTS: Gasparilla Invitational 2026
Feb 21, 2026Hayes Brown wins Gasparilla at 2-under, edging Peyton White by one, while Jeff Frazier claims the Senior title at Palma Ceia.
Yunseo Yang Wins Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific at Royal Wellington Golf Club
Feb 15, 2026Yunseo Yang makes history as Korea’s first WAAP champion, earning major exemptions with a dominant win.
If You’re Entering the U.S. Open, Read This First: 2026 Qualifying Explained
Feb 16, 2026110 locals. One Longest Day. Zero margin. Here’s what you need to know before filing for the 2026 U.S. Open.