On a Rainy Day at the Monroe, Carter Stays Steady

PITTSFORD, NY (June 13, 2018) - It was hardly a postcard day in Pittsford, N.Y., but Jake Carter didn’t let that bother him. The South Carolina native kept the big numbers off his card despite inclement weather and was one of only eight players to get under par in the first round of the Monroe Invitational. He has a one-shot lead on Ryan Gerard.

Carter, entering his junior year at Florida State, was in the third group off No. 1 tee Wednesday morning and opened with birdie. He added three more birdies on the front plus two bogeys to turn in 33.

Even as rain fell -- hard at times -- and the wind picked up, Carter’s card remained uneventful. He added two birdies to finish with 66 on the par-70 Monroe Country Club layout.

For his first-round lead, Carter receives a piece of crystal emblazoned with the Monroe Invitational logo.

Gerard, who recently completed his freshman season at North Carolina, battled through the same weather challenges as his round progressed. Starting on No. 10, he birdied Nos. 13 and 17, then bogeyed the second hole. He followed with nothing but pars and birdies the rest of the day. Here’s a player who seems made for windy rounds: his go-to club under pressure is a 2-iron.

The two ACC players are chased closely by Will Thomson (68), the young phenom who made headlines in 2014 as the youngest player to ever qualify for the U.S. Amateur. He was 13. Now, Thomson is playing the summer amateur circuit for the last time as a junior golfer. He will join the Texas roster in the fall.

Related: 2016: Will Thomson, age 15, commits to Texas

A group of five players tied at 3-under 69 includes Bryce Hendrix, who is only four days removed from winning the Palmetto Amateur for his first major amateur title. Hendrix, who will be a senior at North Carolina-Greensboro, also got off to a hot start last week with an opening 66. He fired a third-round 62, then held on to win.

Related: Palmetto Amateur: Hendrix Surprises Himself with Win

Zach Healy, a rising junior at Georgia, is also in that group.

Ashton Poole, who entered the Monroe off a victory at the Dogwood Invitational on June 9, was in the very last group off No. 10 tee on Wednesday morning. He was one of nine players to fire even-par 70.

Related: Dogwood Invitational: Poole Gets Biggest Win, Validation

Other players in that group include Bryson Nimmer, the Clemson player who chased an NCAA individual title before falling short in the final round, Ben Schlottman, the Auburn senior who won both matches at the NCAA Championship as the Tigers advanced to the semifinals, and Evan Katz, a member of the Duke team that advanced to match play at the NCAA Championship.