Southern Texas summers often dictate how the scoring unfolds, and Saturday’s first round at Oak Hills was no exception. John Kemp, who started early on the 10th hole before the worst of the afternoon heat, strung together a disciplined round of golf that included five birdies and just one bogey. He made the turn at 3-under after a flawless opening nine and steadied himself after his lone mistake on the par-5 fifth by answering immediately with another birdie. The result was a 67 and the lead heading into Sunday’s second round of stroke play.

“It’s a tee-ball golf course,” Kemp said after his round. “If you put yourself out of position off the tee, you struggle. It’s as simple as that, because the green complexes are such that you can’t get to some of the hole positions. Although everybody talks about the green complexes, I think it starts with a tee ball.”

Just one shot back is Mike Finster of Saint Petersburg, Florida, who finished strong with three consecutive birdies on holes 14 through 16. His bogey-free inward nine helped him to a 3-under 68 and the closest chase to Kemp. Finster, who has played in multiple U.S. Senior Amateurs and Senior Opens, praised the course setup. “You got to be in the right position on the greens, because you’ve got to take into account the grains,” he said. “I found a little something on the putting green there.”

Several notables sit two shots behind at 2-under, including former Walker Cup captain Mike McCoy and 2023 U.S. Senior Amateur runner-up Jody Fanagan. Defending champion Louis Brown opened with a steady 70, keeping himself in position to advance to match play. McCoy in particular leaned on his iron play and course management, but still called Oak Hills’ greens “really challenging” even after making five birdies on the day.

The storylines ran deeper than the leaderboard. San Antonio native and Oak Hills member Thomas Immenschuh hit the championship’s first tee shot, part of a hometown contingent in the field. Past champion Todd White carried a “Boat Sober” pin on his bag in memory of 10-year-old Brooklyn Mae Carroll, who recently lost her life in North Carolina. Only six players in the 156-man field chose to walk the course rather than ride—a rarity at this level—with USGA veteran Tim Hogarth among them. The championship itself shifted to Oak Hills after Hurricane Helene forced the USGA to move it from Biltmore Forest in Asheville, North Carolina. Biltmore Forest will now host in 2028.

Oak Hills has recent USGA history of its own, having hosted the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball won by Asterisk Talley and Sarah Lim. On Saturday, the course showed its teeth once again, with only the par-5 10th averaging under par (4.96) and producing four eagles. Local club champions were also in the mix, as former winner Gordy McKeown paired with current champ John Pierce, each producing very different results with rounds of even-par and 77, respectively.