Baltimore Country Club (East Course) · Lutherville, Md. · Aug. 29–Sept. 3, 2026. This story covers Round 1; follow our live scoring and coverage hub for updates all week.
Under mostly sunny skies and a slight Saturday breeze in Lutherville, A.W. Tillinghast's East Course reminded the world's best senior amateurs exactly what a century-old championship layout can do. When the first round of stroke play at the 71st U.S. Senior Amateur was complete, only three players stood under par and the field had scraped out a scoring average of 76.49. Andy Bernatovicz sat above them all.
The 59-year-old from Grand Island, N.Y., posted a 3-under 67 that felt even better than the number. Playing the afternoon wave and starting on the outward nine, Bernatovicz ran off birdies at Nos. 14, 15 and 18 before the turn. His lone blemish came at the par-4 fifth, and he answered it immediately, rolling in a birdie at the par-3 ninth to close his round in front.
The story behind the round is a family one. Bernatovicz's brother, John, is on the bag this week — 33 years after Andy caddied for John at the 1993 U.S. Amateur in Houston. “I really trust him,” Bernatovicz said. “He sees it really well and he keeps me a little bit more focused. I'm a little looser, so he dials me in as much as he possibly can.” A signage-company owner who never played college golf, Bernatovicz says looping for his brother is what rekindled his own competitive fire. Of his USGA debut he added: “It's such an honor. My wife and kids are here... It's nice to come and compete against the best old guys in the world.”
One stroke back at 2-under sits Trae Cassell, 56, of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., whose 68 was the low round of the morning wave. Cassell survived a rocky bogey-par-bogey opening on the inward nine, steadied himself with a birdie at 16, then caught fire with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 1 and 2 before closing birdies at 7 and 9. “That's a typical start, unfortunately, for me,” he said of the sluggish opening. “You just have to focus, settle into the round and keep going.” A reinstated amateur and 2024 California State Senior Amateur champion, Cassell reached the Round of 32 in his debut a year ago.
Two shots off the lead is Daniel W. Sullivan of Pasadena, Calif., the championship's runner-up in 2024, at 1-under. “My mindset heading into today was just trying to play solidly, make pars,” Sullivan said. “It's a challenging golf course.”
The day produced two holes-in-one for the record books. Mike Sposa, a 1991 Walker Cup team member and Callaway player representative, aced the 164-yard par-3 17th — the 22nd hole-in-one in championship history and the 20th of his career. Rick Kuhn of Bismarck, N.D., made the 23rd in event history, and the first of his life, on the 134-yard third. Defending champion Mike McCoy opened with a 5-over 75.
There is history in the ground itself: the East Course opened in September 1926, making this week's championship a bookend on the layout's first century. It is the first USGA championship at Baltimore Country Club since the 1988 U.S. Women's Open, won by Liselotte Neumann.
What's next
All 156 competitors return Sunday for the final round of stroke play, with the low 64 advancing to match play beginning Monday. Any playoff for the final spots would begin at 7:30 a.m. Monday at No. 9. Match play runs through Thursday's 18-hole championship final. Admission is free and spectators are encouraged to attend.