Schniederjans blisters Berkeley Hall for early Players lead

This could be the week for Luke Schniederjans. After one round at the Players Amateur, the rising Georgia Tech junior is already deep in the red. Schniederjans blitzed Berkeley Hall Club on Thursday to open this long-running event and finished the day at 8-under 63. Schniederjans, the younger brother of PGA Tour player Ollie Schniederjans, had four birdies in his opening seven holes. His lone bogey of the day came at No. 9. The back nine was flawless, however. Five birdies dropped Schniederjans to a score of 30 on the par-35 layout. Already this summer, Schniederjans has finished T-6 at the Dogwood Invitational, T-48 at the Sunnehanna Amateur and T-11 at the Northeast Amateur. There are three more rounds at Berkeley Hall yet to play, but should Schniederjans hang on to his lead, it would result in a sponsor’s exemption into the RBC Heritage. Bryson Nimmer of Okatie, S.C., and Daniel Hillier of New Zealand are close on Schniederjans’ heels at 6-under 65. Nimmer, the Clemson player who chased an NCAA individual title before falling short in the final round, lit up the course in a similar way. He had three consecutive birdies at Nos. 3-5. The back nine included two birdies plus an eagle at the par-5 15th. Nimmer has done well here. A year ago, he had the chance to win the tournament outright but he bogeyed the closing hole to finish regulation in 13 under and ultimately lost in a playoff against Philip Knowles. Hillier, meanwhile, had a similar card Thursday that included seven birdies – two of which came on the opening two holes – and only one bogey. Hillier plays out of Royal Wellington Golf Club, host of the 2017 Asia Pacific Amateur. He finished T-6 at that event. Thomas Walsh, the Virginia player who won the ACC individual title this spring, and John Augenstein, an All-American at Vanderbilt, are tied for fourth at 5 under. Knowles, last year’s champion, is 14th after a 2-under 69 in the first round.