Reband leads after stormy day at the South Beach International Am

Garett Reband (York, S.C.), a senior at the University of Oklahoma, shot a 2-under 68 at Normandy Shores Golf Course to take the lead at the South Beach International Amateur (SBIA) in Miami Beach, Fla. An overcast day with intermittent rain and constant winds in the 20 mile per hour range made for a stern test of golf at both Miami Beach and Normandy Shores golf clubs on Thursday. The rain at Miami Beach Golf Club became too intense to complete Friday's round, leaving 10 groups to finish their first round Friday morning, starting at 7am. Reband, a member of the Oklahoma Sooners golf team currently ranked No. 1 after the fall college season, is one of only two players in the clubhouse to break par. 19-year-old Lucas Abrial of France shot a 1-under 69 to put him one stroke off the lead. Eight players, all of whom played at Normandy Shores, are 2 strokes back at even par. From the players who finished their rounds at the more difficult Miami Beach Golf Club, six posted scores of 1-over 72. Three of Italy’s top players, Lynn University’s Giovanni Manzoni, UVA’s Pietro Bovari and 19-year-old Filippo Celli were joined by England’s Jake Bolton and junior sensations Karl Vilips and Christopher Zhang who will join Stanford's and Northwestern's teams respectively next fall. Play continues tomorrow at both courses starting at 7:30am as originally scheduled for those who finished their rounds. With another day of consistent 20 mph plus wind and some rain, scores are expected to remain on the high side as the players again are in for a true test of grit. After tomorrow’s round, 72 players plus ties will make the cut from the field of 210. The SBIA field of 210 players includes 162 "Top 1,000" players and 16 "Top 100" world-ranked players. Overall this year’s field includes 104 international players from 31 countries, making the SBIA the second largest international tournament in the world, exceeded only by the British Amateur.