Players Amateur: Hunter Stewart leads

BLUFFTON, S.C. (July 12, 2013) -- One of the season's top amateur fields certainly hasn't disappointed so far. The weather, which saw lightening suspend play on Thursday and rain interfere with play on Friday, has been a bit of a challenge, but such is the nature of competitive summer amateur golf in the Southeast. The field is chasing Hunter Stewart. The incoming junior at Vanderbilt fired an 4-under 68 Friday on top of his first round 64. Tournament officials were attempting to play 36 holes on Thursday due to the weather forecast for Friday, but the lightening forced them to abandon those plans, and many players were required to start mid-second round on Friday. Stewart was one of them. Sinking the 30-footer he had left when players were called off the course Thursday to start the day Friday proved to be a good omen for Stewart, who played solid golf the rest of the day. Michael Weaver, the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world -- according to the Golfweek/amateurgolf.com Player Rankings -- and member of the historic 2013 double-digit tournament winning Cal Bears golf team, is in second place at 134. Weaver was in between rounds when play was halted on Thursday. ABOUT THE PLAYERS AMATEUR While competing in the 1999 US Amateur Championship at Pebble Beach, former US Walker Cup Team members, Duke Delcher and Tom McKnight discussed the formation of a premier amateur golf tournament. The inaugural Players Amateur was held the next summer. Former British Open Champion, Ben Curtis, was the winner of the 2000 event. The Players Amateur annually attracts one of the nation's top fields. Other notable first-round scores include: 2012 Porter Cup winner Richy Werenski of Georgia Tech (E, T20), Alabama's Tom Lovelady (1-over, T33), U.S. Open contestant Grayson Murray (3-over, T53), Georgia Tech's Oliver Schniederjans (3-over, T53), 2012 Rice Planters winner Thomas Bradshaw (4-over, T62).