Florida Senior: Bodney takes 1st-round lead

VERO BEACH, Fla. (April 15, 2014) -- Mike Bodney will take a two stroke lead heading into the second round of play at the 53rd Senior Amateur Championship at Vero Beach Country Club in Vero Beach. Second round tee-times begin at 8:00 am on Wednesday, April 16th with the final round on Thursday, April 17th. After the first round of play that saw 144 of the best senior amateur golfers in the state compete at Vero Beach Country Club, only one player stands at under par. Mike Bodney, of Jacksonville, fired a round of two-under par 70 which included three birdies and only one bogey. The 2007 Senior Amateur Champion, Rick Woulfe, of Fort Lauderdale, Michael Gennette, of Orlando, and Sam Till, of Bonita Springs, are currently tied for second place after their rounds of even par 72. Past Champion and reigning Senior Player-of-the-Year, Doug LaCrosse, of Tampa, currently stands tied for 25th after his round of four-over par 76. There are currently 20 players within four shots of the lead, which should set up an exciting finish. Pete Williams of Juno Beach provided the shot of the day with a hole-in-one on the 9th hole hitting a 5 iron from 171 yards. Since the number of entries received has always surpassed the capacity of the Championship, a qualifying stage was instituted in 2005. While 60 players earned exempt status through a variety of different means, more than 300 participants attempted to qualify at one of seven sites across the state, as competitors played 18 holes of stroke play hoping to advance to the Championship. Participants must be 55 or older to participate in the Championship. Players who advanced to the Championship compete in 54-holes of stroke play with a cut to the low 60 and ties after 36 holes.