Menante's title defense at Northeast Amateur off to strong start

It doesn't seem to make much of a difference the Wannamoisett Country Club in Rumford, RI is some 3,000 miles from Dylan Menante's hometown of Carlsbad, Calif.

The former Pepperdine golfer who recently transferred to North Carolina, feels right at home at this Donald Ross classic, as he posted a 7-under 62 in the first round of the Northeast Amateur on Wednesday. With his strong start to his title defense, Menante enjoys a three shot lead over NCAA individual champion Gordon Sargent of Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech's Connor Howe, who both shot 4-under 65s.

Menante, who won this tournament last year with a 9-under score 267, showed no signs he was ready to relinquish his title anytime soon, as he made five birdies over the opening nine holes to go out in 29. With the crowd on a "59 Watch," Menante shot 33 on the back to complete a 7-under round of 62 on the par-69 layout.

Steadily rising, and lurking around the top-10 in all major amateur golf rankings, Menante narrowly missed an opportunity to play in the U.S. Open, posting a 36-hole total that placed him out of a playoff by a single shot at San Francisco's Olympic Club in final qualifying.

Kelly Chinn, who is coming off a second-place finish at the Sunnehanna Amateur last week, sits in fourth place after the Duke golfer carded a 3-under round of 66. Nine golfers are at 2-under.

The Northeast Amateur is the second of seven events comprising the Elite Amateur Series, which began last week with the Sunnehanna Amateur in Johnstown, Pa.