Around the Green

Thornton and Hunter lead South Amateur Championship

Nick Thornton and John Hunter both card opening rounds of 68 to lead the South Regional Amateur. The South Regional Amateur, presented by Club Champion, is being held will on the Resort Course at La Cantera Golf Club.
 
Thornton, of Boerne, carded a 4-under par 68 in his first round of the South Amateur. Nick made the turn at 1-under par and went on to card three more birdies on his second nine, La Cantera’s front nine.  Thorton shares his first round lead with Hunter.
 
Hunter, of Houston, got off to a slow start with three pars and a bogey in his first four holes. John was then able to turn it on and card four birdies for an opening nine total of 33. Hunter went on to card a 35 on his second nine on his way to a share of the lead at 4-under par.
 
The first round leaders are followed closely by a pair at 3-under par and pair at 2-under par. Houston’s Nicholas Cristea and Michael Perras, of Pasadena, were both able to card an opening round total of 69. Ed Sanchez, of San Antonio, and Austin’s Tim Hamm trail the leaders by two with opening round totals of 70. A total of 15 players are at even par 72 or better after the first round.
 
Opened in 1995, the Resort Course at La Cantera was designed by noted golf course architect Jay Morrish and PGA professional Tom Weiskopf. The challenging layout winds through the Texas Hill Country offering breathtaking views, including a sheer 80â€Âfoot drop from the 7th tee to the fairway. The Resort Course Hosted the Texas Open from 1995-2009.
 
The second round of the South Amateur presented by Club Champion gets underway tomorrow, August 8^th, at 7:54 AM off both the first and tenth tees.  At the conclusion of the second round tomorrow, the field will be re-paired, based on total score from the first 36 holes of play.  Click here for starting times, pairings and scoring results.