Monroe Invitational: Delisanti reveling in another hometown event. Fires 66

July 27, 2023 | by Sean Melia of AmateurGolf.com

Anthony Delisanti leads the Monroe (Buffalo News)

The local kid is playing great golf close to home again. Rides a barrage of birdies to the top of the pack, Heskew is one back

On a day when the heat was once again relentless, Anthony Delisanti caught fire with a bogey-free 65 to jump into the lead halfway through the Monroe Invitational.

Over the last month, Delisanti, a local kid who grew up in Sanborn, New York has enjoyed some home cooking. He finished in third place at the Porter Cup, another event down the road for the Valparaiso standout.

The second-round 65 wasn't a surprise, given the fact that he shot a 66 in round one with six birdies and two bogeys. He sits at 9-under par.

One shot behind Delisanti is round one leader LSU's Luke Haskew had an eventful day at Monroe Country Club. He made an eagle on hole 11 and backed it up with a birdie on 12. Three bogeys slowed his momentum.

Following his first round, Haskew said, "Bogeys are probably going to come – that’s just the way it works, so I just need to keep a level head.”

He's certainly found his way into the hunt again. Last month he finished in second place at the Southwestern Amateur.

Sitting in third place is Wake Forest's Mashall Meisal; like Haskew, this is Meisal's first time playing the Monroe.

“I love it – I love this kind of course,” he said after the round. “It’s so pretty, and the grass is so pure," he said. "The whole club and the whole vibe (of the tournament) is just awesome, so I’m really happy to be here.”

Michael Mays flipped the script on Thursday and played the round of the day with a 64. After a disappointing 73, he broke loose and made seven birdies. He made back-to-back birdies three separate times, and a lone bogey on his card came on the 15th hole. The Florida State rising sophomore used his great round to climb into a tie for eighth place.

After 36 holes, 29 players are under par. The field will be cut to 45 and ties following Friday's third round.

Day One recape

Luke Haskew (Baton Rouge, La.) carded six birdies on his way to a 64 and a one-shot lead after 18 holes in the Monroe Invitational. A stretch of four birdies in the middle of the round on hole Nos. 8,9,11,12 helped Haskew leap to the top of the leaderboard late in the day.

Haskew, a rising sophomore at LSU, is no stranger to leading a tournament after the first round. He shot an opening round 62 at the Southwestern Amateur a few weeks back and went on to finish in second place.

"I put myself in a similar spot about a month ago at a different tournament [Southwestern Amateur] and I stuck to a good plan of just staying relaxed and playing my game," he saiid. “Bogeys are probably going to come – that’s just the way it works, so I just need to keep a level head.”

Hot on his heels is a fellow from an ACC school; Marshall Meisel shot a bogey-free 65. The Wake Forest rising junior scattered is birdies evenly throughout his round. Meisel is joined at 5-under par by SMU's J. Holland Humphries.

After a solid third-place showing in the Porter Cup earlier this month, Anthony Delisanti has inserted himself into the conversation again. He's two shots off Haskew's rounding round pace after shooting a 4-under 66.

It didn't look like Haskew would have the lead at the end of the day, as Clemson's Kian Rose was on fire in the final group. Rose started his round with three straight birdies. He ran off another trio of birdies on hole Nos 11-13. Toss in birdies on holes 7 and 9, and Rose was sitting at 7-under par standing on the 16th tee.

However, a double bogey on the par-3 16th hole and a closing bogey on No. 18 dropped Rose back to 4-under par. He'll have a chance to wipe the sour taste out of his mouth early tomorrow, as he's the first group off at 7:00 am.

Ukrainian golfer Lev Grinberg, 15, shot an even-par 70 and is T26.

Results: Monroe Invitational

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Marshall Meisel	Chevy Chase, MD	700	65-69-69-68=271
2	Anthony Delisanti	Sanborn, NY	500	66-65-73-67=271
T3	Lance Simpson	Knoxville, TN	400	70-70-69-64=273
T3	Peyton Snoeberger	Williamsport, IN	400	70-67-68-68=273
T3	Connor Gaunt	Cabot, AR	400	66-69-71-67=273

View full results for Monroe Invitational

About the Monroe Invitational

Monroe Invitational: Delisanti reveling in another hometown event. Fires 66

The Monroe Invitational is held at Monroe Golf Club in Pittsford, NY, and is one of the oldest amateur tournaments in the United States, dating back to its first playing in 1937. The course is a Donald Ross design that is a Golfweek Top 100 Classic C...