Around the Green

Travis Woolf Grabs Early Lead at 2018 North Amateur

McKinney, TX – Travis Woolf, of Fort Worth, shoots an opening round 1-under 71 to grab the early lead at the North Amateur. Woolf carded four birdies in his round and will enter the second round with five players sitting within two strokes of him.

(Round 1 Scores)

Located in McKinney, a suburb in North Dallas, Stonebridge Ranch Country Club – Dye Course is hosting the Texas Golf Associations North Regional Amateur for the first time since the Regional Series inception in 2003. Opening in 1988, Stonebridge Ranch Country Club was designed by the great Pete Dye. Known for his Signature Golf Courses, the Dye Course offers challenging play along with the renewing qualities of the beauty that surrounds it. Stonebridge Ranch Country Club has been named “Best of Private Clubs” in 2017 Avid Golfer and has recently converted to MiniVerde greens with new bunker reconstruction.

Woolf started his first round how everyone envisions their round to start, by opening with a birdie on the first hole. Woolf grabbed another birdie on the relatively short par 5, seventh before he carded a double bogey on the 451 yard, par 4 ninth. Turning to the back nine at even par, Woolf carded two more birdies on the 11^th and 13^th holes with his lone bogey on hole 12.

After a long hot and dry summer, Stonebridge Ranch Country Club received almost a half inch of rain over night which made the golf course play softer and ultimately longer than usual. Players had to battle gusts of wind throughout much of the day as remaining storms passed through, to the south of the course.

Sitting just two strokes back, Bill Sharpe fought hard throughout his round before turning in a 1-over 73. Sharpe, starting his round on the back nine, carded an early birdie on the 415 yard par 4, 11^th before hitting a streak of four bogies in a row. After adding his second birdie of the round on the par 5, 16^th that played downwind today, Sharpe double bogeyed the long par 3 17^th playing 200 yards today. After turning at 4-over, Sharpe found his game on the inward nine and carded a clean nine with three birdies to get back to 1-over.

Trailing Woolf and Sharpe, is a group of four players at 2-over 74 after the first round. Tanner Gore, of Arlington, Christopher Wheeler, of Addison, Jack Howes, of McKinney, and JC Campbell, of Dallas will enter the second round two strokes behind the lead.

A Part of the TGA’s North Regional Series, the North Amateur is the fourth and final regional event for 2018. The other three events, the North Four-Ball, North Mid-Amateur, and North Senior were all contested earlier on in the spring. Players must reside in the northern part of Texas (31^st parallel, Salado, TX) to be able to compete in the 54-hole tournament. Applicants must also have a certified GHIN Handicap of 8.4 or less. Players finishing in the top three (and ties) on Sunday, who are not already exempt, and within the top ten will receive an exemption in the 110^th Texas Amateur Championship at Dallas Athletic Club in Dallas.

The second round of the North Amateur at Stonebridge Ranch Country Club – Dye Course will begin at 8:00 AM off #1 and #10 tees. Woolf will start his round at 9:30 AM off #10 tee while Sharpe will be early off the first hole at 8:36 AM. After the second round (no cut), players will be repaired based on their 36-hole total with the leaders teeing it up last off #1 at approximately 9:57 am. For more information on the North Amateur, please click here.