Three Share Lead After Day One of WWT Metropolitan Open Championship
LIVE SCORING | SECOND ROUND PAIRINGS
Lake St. Louis, MO – Three are tied at the top after the first 18 holes at the 16th World Wide Technology Metropolitan Open Championship at Lake Forest Country Club.
Gabriel Lench, Sunny Kim, and Tim O’Neal all shot 4-under 68s the first day.
Lench, the first one in the clubhouse at 4-under, started on No. 10 and was even at the turn. The Sanford, Florida native went 3-under on holes 1 through 3 including an ace on the par 3 2nd. It was one of only three eagles on the day in the entire field.
Sunny Kim played through injury today and still turned in a 4-under round. The Palm Beach Gardens, Florida native is a legend on the Minor League Golf Tour, having won 75 times. He carded five birdies and just one bogey on his first 18.
“I played really well on the front nine and turned at 4-under,” Kim said. “I started having muscle spasms on No. 12 and it was a battle at that point just to get into the house.”
Tim O’Neal, teeing off in one of the last times of the day, matched Kim and Lench’s 4-under score. O’Neal was bogey-free 4-under his first 12 holes until his only miscue on the par 4 4th. A birdie down the stretch on No. 6 and pars the rest of the way saw him finish with a 68.
Seven are tied for fourth and are within one shot of the lead.
Defending champion Seth Fair finished 4-under his last 12 holes. Starting on No. 1, his only bogey came on the par 4 6th.
“I tried to just put it in places with the same game plan as last year,” Fair said. “I was able to put the ball in play off the tee and hit a lot of greens. The rough is penalizing out here, so I wanted to give myself plenty of looks.”
Willie Mack III is another name in the 3-under group. The Orlando, Florida native made the turn at 3-under and birdies on No. 11 and 13 saw him leading the field with three holes to go.
“I played pretty well,” Mack said. “I was 5-under with three holes to go, had a three-putt on 16 and bogeyed 18, but other than that was a really solid day.”
Six players are sitting at 2-under within two of the lead.
The second round gets underway with split tee times tomorrow morning beginning at 7:15 a.m. The second wave is set to start for 12:15 pm.
For updates throughout the tournament, follow MAGA on Twitter @MetAmateurGA.
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