Two tied for lead at Southern Amateur
Keith Mitchell
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (July 18, 2012) -- It was a Georgia kind of day Wednesday in the opening round of the 106th Southern Amateur at Chenal CC’s demanding Bear Den course. Georgia Tech soph Oliver Schniederjans and Georgia All-American junior Keith Mitchell each shot 4-under-par 68s to tie for the lead.
“I hit it awesome,” Schniederjans said after hitting 12 of 14 fairways and making just one bogey when he missed a 3-footer for par. "But I now you don't win tournaments in the first round." He was a freshman regular on the Tech team that won the ACC a title this year.
A shot back at 69 were Duke signee Motin Yeung from Orlando and Brad Schneider of Valrico, FL. World No. 1-ranked amateur Bobby Wyatt is another shot back at 71. Local favorite Alex Carpenter, the 2010 Southern Am champ, bounced back from a rough front nine with a 33 on the back to salvage a 3-over 75 and keep hopes alive.
The Southern Am field, with players from 33 states and 10 foreign countries, will be cut to the low 66 and ties after Thursday’s second round. The storied event concludes Saturday, the champion earning an automatic invitation to play in the PGA Tour Arnold Palmer Invitational next spring in Orlando.
ABOUT THE Southern Amateur
The Southern Amateur, which dates back to 1902, is
one of two competitions held by the Southern Golf
Association (the other is the Southern Junior). This
is a 72-hole stroke play championship with a cut
made after 36 holes. Entries are open to any male
amateur golfer who has a current USGA Handicap
Index® not exceeding 3.4 under the USGA Handicap
System. Non-exempt players must pre-qualify at
one of the qualifying sites held across the southern
U.S. in the two months leading up to the
championship.
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