Lloyd Jefferson Go, Spencer Ralston and Matthew Walker share the first-round lead at 63. Go was the first player to land on that number early in the day on Tuesday. A two-time Big East Player of the Year while at Seton Hall, Go made two birdies and an eagle on the three par 5s in a bogey-free round.
Ralston, a junior at Georgia, was even through six before an eagle at the par-5 seventh helped him turn at 2 under. He got it going on the second nine with four birdies and an eagle at the par-5 16th.
“I hit the ball in the fairway, which I kind of struggled with, but a hot putter can make up for a lot,” Ralston said. “I gave myself a lot of opportunities, and I was rolling it well.”
Walker, a senior at Iowa, had the cleanest card with eight birdies and no bogeys.Three players tied for the lead.
— Western Amateur (@westernamateur) August 1, 2018
18 players within three shots or fewer.
The second round of the 2018 #WesternAmateur is going to be epic. pic.twitter.com/PWDGdGSfPZ
Scores were low across the board, with 85 of the 156 players in the field firing a first round in the red. Four players are tied for fourth at 7 under, one behind the leaders. Among those players, Shuai Ming Wong got as low as 8 under through 13 holes only to make two bogeys coming in and finish one off the lead.
“I think I definitely left some out there,” said Wong, a freshman at Southern Methodist. “I really was feeling it out there today. I had a couple of setbacks, but that’s part of golf.”
Also at that number are John Augenstein, the Players Amateur champion from Vanderbilt; Chandler Phillips, the Texas A&M standout; and Fernando Barco, winner of the Mexican International Amateur, Peru International Amateur and Terra Cotta Invitational.
In a group at 6 under are Cole Hammer, Isaac Merry, and Sam Stevens. Hammer was part of the winning team at the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball this spring. Merry is playing in his last tournament as an amateur before turning professional. He played college golf at New Mexico State.