Five tied for lead on opening day of English Amateur

The weather was far from ideal for the opening day of the English Men’s Amateur. Regardless, 20 players managed to finished 18 holes under par at Hankley Common Golf Club in Farnham, England. It’s thick at the top, too, as five men share the lead at 3 under.

The leading group includes Samuel Rook, Callum Farr, Jake Bolton, Jamie Li and Harvey Byers. Among them, Rook had perhaps the most impressive run. He was nine pars on his front side, but was 3 under for Nos. 17 and 18 after going eagle-birdie.

Behind the leaders, the next big group is at 2 under. Four men are on that number.

As the Walker Cup approaches, both sides are looking to build their best amateur squad for the Sept. 7-8 matches at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England. A practice session for Great Britain and Ireland hopefuls was conducted last week at Royal Liverpool, and eight of the men invited to that are playing in Farnam this week.

Among that group, Thomas Plumb played the best on Tuesday, logging a 1-under 70 to fall into the group tied for 10th.

Two more practice squad attendees, Wake Forest player Alex Fitzpatrick and Jake Burnage, are part of a group at even par. Bobby Leopold, a Hankley Common member and a mid-amateur who splits his time between England and the U.S., is also at even par.

Thomas Thurloway, the defending champion, opened with a round of 7-over 78.

The field will be trimmed to 64 players after Wednesday’s round for the start of match play.