North Carolina teammates David Ford and Peter Fountain hold down the top two spots after carding opening rounds of 67 and 68, respectively, in the first major tournament of 2023, which consistently attracts one of the deepest fields of the year to the coastal Georgia layout.
Gordon Sargent
Fountain, a junior at Chapel Hill who won the 2021 ACC individual championship, birdied three of his final five holes for an opening round 68.
"I didn't hit it super well but I feel I made just about everything I looked at," said Fountain, who one putted eight of his last 10 greens en route to his 68. U.S. Amateur runner-up Ben Carr and Auburn commit Jackson Koivun are two back of Ford after turning in rounds of 70 while Elite Amateur Cup series winner Caleb Surratt is tied for fifth at 1-under par.
A third Tar Heel, Western Amateur champion Austin Greaser, is part of a large pack at even par.
NCAA men's individual champion Gordon Sargent, who yesterday received a special invitation to play in the upcoming Masters Tournament, carded a 1-over round of 73 while defending Jones Cup champion Palmer Jackson of Notre Dame opened with a 74, as did U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Matthew McClean.
McClean is one of nine players in the field who are under consideration for Great Britain & Ireland's Walker Cup team.
The Jones Cup champion boasts an impressive list of past champions, including PGA Tour winners D.J. Trahan (2001), Luke List (2007), Kyle Stanley (2009), Patrick Reed (2010), Justin Thomas (2012) and Corey Conners (2014).