Bruce Woodall, 23, of Yanceyville, N.C., fired a 2-under-par 69 to lead North Carolina to a four-stroke lead following Wednesday’s first round at the 2012 USGA Men’s State Team Championship at the par-71, 6,963-yard Galloway National Golf Club.
Combined with Paul Simson’s even-par 71, North Carolina carded a team total of 2-under 140.
California, Iowa and 2009 champion Pennsylvania each shot 2-over 144 to share second position. North Carolina tied for second behind Kansas in this championship two years ago at Mayacama Golf Club in Santa Rosa, Calif.
Play was suspended due to darkness at 7:14 p.m. EDT with two players still on the course. They will complete the first round at 8 a.m. on Thursday. The second round is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m.
The USGA Men’s State Team Championship consists of 54 holes of stroke play, with the two lowest of three individual scores counting as the team total for the round. The team with the lowest aggregate score following the final round on Friday is the champion.
The Men’s State Team Championship is conducted biennially by the United States Golf Association. The men’s and women’s competitions are held in alternating years. Each state is responsible for selecting its team and the players must reside in that state to be eligible. All 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, are represented in the 2012 field.
Woodall, who previously played at Galloway National in an NCAA regional as a member of the University of Virginia team, birdied the par-5 11th and followed with a 5-foot birdie putt on the 12th. An errant tee shot into the trees resulted in a bogey on the 15th, but he quickly regained that stroke by holing another short birdie putt at the 571-yard par-5 16th. His 69 was the low round of the day.
"In terms of thinking around the golf course, it definitely helped," said Woodall about playing here in the spring of 2009. "There are some ridges [on the greens] that I realized were there and tee shots you need to keep in a certain spot."
Simson, 61, of Raleigh, N.C., made four birdies during his round to offset a double-bogey 6 on the par-4 12th and two bogeys. The 2010 USGA Senior Amateur champion was impressed with Woodall’s play.
"He’s solid in every part of his game," Simson said. "He is long, thinks well, hits the ball solidly and doesn’t put himself in difficult situations. He’s playing well, mature beyond his years. [Our team] has a combination of ancient age and youth."
Paul Misko, 23, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Jon Olson, 32, of Ankeny, Iowa, each carded 1-under 70s in the morning to help their teams finish at 2-over 144. Nathan Smith, who won his fourth U.S. Mid-Amateur title last week, shot 72 for Pennsylvania, which also had 72s from Sean Knapp and Andrew Mason.
Misko, whose teammate John McClure, 53, of Los Angeles, shot 74, played the outward nine in 2-under 33 before adding birdies on holes 11 and 15. He found the water off the tee on 16, leading to double-bogey 7. He followed that with a bogey at the 247-yard, par-3 17th, and finished by getting up and down for par from a greenside bunker at the closing hole.
"I decided to hit driver [on 16] and hit in the water," said Misko, who lost in the Round of 32 at last month’s U.S. Amateur to eventual semifinalist Brandon Hagy and fell in the first round to eventual champion T.J. Vogel at the U.S. Amateur Public Links in July. "I hit a good shot at 17, but it just didn’t work out. I feel like I am playing better when I am playing against better people or harder golf courses. Bigger events, I love them."
Olson, playing in his first USGA event since the 2001 U.S. Amateur Public Links, made four birdies and three bogeys en route to his 70, while teammate Gene Elliott, 50, of West Des Moines, carded a 74. Olson, who began his round on the 10th tee, holed a 55-foot chip shot for a birdie on No. 10, one of three birdies over his first six holes.
"I busted driver and 3-iron and was just in front of the green," said Olson, who won the 2012 Iowa State Amateur with a final-round 64. "[I] hit a great chip and it went in the hole. When you start like that good things are going to happen."
Olson was also pleased with the way he managed his game on the challenging Tom Fazio design.
"I put it in play off the tee," he said. "You have to do everything well. Putting is such a huge component of it. There are some flags you cannot go at. You have to have such discipline and patience in these kind of events."
Louisiana and South Carolina were among five teams tied for fifth at 3-over-par 145. Matt Nicholas fired an even-par 71 to team with Patrick Christovich’s 74 for Louisiana.
Steven Liebler had a 71 and Todd White, a semifinalist at last week’s U.S. Mid-Amateur, added a 74 for South Carolina.
Georgia’s Mark Strickland had two birdies on each nine in posting a 1-under-par 70. His teammate, David Noll Jr., added a 75.
New York’s Mike Miller, who reached the Round of 32 at last month’s U.S. Amateur, made three birdies in shooting 72, while teammate Max Buckley, a U.S. Amateur quarterfinalist in 2011, added a 73.
Missouri was paced by Brad Nurski’s 72,, which was one stroke better than teammates Richard Skip Berkmeyer and Nick Wilson.
The first round started promptly at 7:10 a.m. EDT, despite an overnight storm that produced a quarter of an inch of rain and wind gusts of nearly 60 miles per hour. Galloway National Golf Club, which is hosting its first USGA championship, came out of the storm unscathed. Ohio, Oregon and host New Jersey did not post a first-round team score because each had one player who did not complete their round due to darkness
Brian DePasquale is a manager of championship communications. Email him at bdepasquale@usga.org.
Galloway Township, N.J. – Results from Wednesday’s first round of the 2012 USGA Men’s State Team Championship being conducted at the 6,956-yard, par-71 Galloway National Golf Club. NOTE: Ohio and New Jersey each has one golfer that did not finish the first round due to play being suspended for darkness at 7:14 p.m. EDT. (The two best scores out of three counts toward the team’s total for each round):
1. North Carolina 69-71--140 (Bruce Woodall, Yanceyville 35-34--69; Paul Simson, Raleigh 33-38--71; Scott Harvey, Greensboro 33-40--73)
T2. California 70-74--144 (Paul Misko, Thousand Oaks 33-37--70; John McClure, Los Angeles 34-40--74; Andrew Biggadike, Belmont 36-39--75)
T2. Iowa 70-74--144 (Jon Olson, Ankeny 36-34--70; Gene Elliott, West Des Moines 37-37--74; Dennis Bull, Norwalk 39-40--79)
T2. Pennsylvania 72-72--144 (Nathan Smith, Pittsburgh 37-35--72; Andrew Mason, Huntingdon Valley 35-37--72; Sean Knapp, Oakmont 36-36--72)
T5. South Carolina 71-74--145 (Steve Liebler, Irmo 35-36--71; Todd White, Moore 38-36--74; Josh Branyon, Honea Path 44-38--82)
T5. New York 72-73--145 (Michael Miller, Brewster 33-39--72; Max Buckley, Rye 37-36--73; Joseph Saladino, Huntington 38-41--79)
T5. Georgia 70-75--145 (Mark Strickland, Woodstock 34-36--70; David Noll Jr, Dalton 35-40--75; William Mitchell, Roswell 38-39--77)
T5. Missouri 72-73--145 (Brad Nurski, St. Joseph 36-36--72; Nick Wilson, Columbia 35-38--73; Richard Berkmeyer, Wildwood 34-39--73)
T5. Louisiana 71-74--145 (Matt Nicholas, Lake Charles 33-38--71; Patrick Christovich, New Orleans 37-37--74; Robby McWilliams, Bossier City 37-39--76)
10. Ohio 74-72--146 (Robert Gerwin II, Cincinnati 39-35--74; Jeffrey Scohy, Bellbrook 39-45--84; Bill Williamson, Cincinnati 35-37--72)
11. Indiana 73-74--147 (Kenny Cook, Noblesville 37-36--73; Bob Stephens, Indianapolis 36-38--74; Todd Palmer, Fishers 37-41--78)
T12. Rhode Island 73-75--148 (Brad Valois, Warwick 35-38--73; Bobby Leopold, Coventry 36-39--75; Charlie Blanchard, North Providence 40-38--78)
T12. Tennessee 73-75--148 (Tim Jackson, Germantown 36-37--73; Craig Smith, Nashville 38-37--75; Todd Burgan, Powell 38-38--76)
T12. Florida 74-74--148 (Jon Veneziano, Mount Dora 37-37--74; Don Bell, Port Orange 40-34--74; Joe Alfieri II, Lutz 36-42--78)
T12. Michigan 74-74--148 (Drew Preston, Grand Rapids 35-39--74; Brian Hayward, Grand Rapids 35-39--74; Tom Werkmeister, Kentwood 40-37--77)
T12. Connecticut 74-74--148 (Jeffrey Hatten, Farmington 37-37--74; Matt Smith, Thompson 36-38--74; Brian Ahern, West Hartford 38-42--80)
17. Oklahoma 73-76--149 (Jeff Coffman, Oklahoma City 35-38--73; Michael Hughett, Owasso 38-38--76; William J Lavender, Oklahoma City 38-42--80)
T18. Washington 75-75--150 (Mike Haack, Bellevue 39-36--75; Tom Brandes, Bellevue 38-37--75; Sean Packer, Seattle 40-38--78)
T18. New Hampshire 75-75--150 (D. J. Lantz, New London 37-38--75; Joshua Chamberlain, Amherst 37-38--75; Ryan Kohler, Spofford 37-40--77)
T18. West Virginia 74-76--150 (Sam O'Dell, Hurricane 35-39--74; Patrick Carter, Huntington 39-37--76; Bruce Wetherholt, Barboursville 39-41--80)
T18. Wisconsin 74-76--150 (Max Hosking, Madison 36-38--74; Bob Gregorski, Menasha 36-40--76; Sam Frank, Madison 40-39--79)
T22. Delaware 75-77--152 (Chase Brockstedt, Rehoboth Beach 38-37--75; Greg Wolfe, Newark 40-37--77; Simon Hagger, Hockessin 44-42--86)
T22. Maine 75-77--152 (Jason Gall, Augusta 37-38--75; Ricky Jones, Thomaston 38-39--77; Mark Plummer, Manchester 44-48--92)
T22. Virginia 76-76--152 (Scott Shingler, Haymarket 36-40--76; Keith Decker, Martinsville 37-39--76; Buck Brittain, Tazewell 40-38--78)
T22. Maryland 76-76--152 (Michael Mulieri, Silver Spring 39-37--76; Serge Hogg, Baltimore 37-39--76; Mark Cusic, California 38-41--79)
T26. Alaska 76-77--153 (Kevin Daniels, Anchorage 37-39--76; Adam Baxter, Fairbanks 38-39--77; Paul Blanche, Anchorage 46-49--95)
T26. Vermont 76-77--153 (Devin Komline, Dorset 35-41--76; Garren Poirier, Killington 40-37--77; Mike Stackus, Barre 41-37--78)
T26. New Mexico 76-77--153 (Sam Saunders, Albuquerque 36-40--76; Justin Knauber, Albuquerque 38-39--77; Anton Salome, Socorro 38-41--79)
T26. Kansas 76-77--153 (Kit Grove, Lawrence 38-38--76; Jack Courington, Wichita 36-41--77; Zac Burton, Manhattan 36-43--79)
T26. Arkansas 76-77--153 (Wes McNulty, White Hall 40-36--76; Joey Nichols, Little Rock 36-41--77; Chris Jenkins, Little Rock 37-41--78)
T26. Oregon 75-78--153 (Tyler Simpson, Happy Valley 39-36--75; Bill Winter, Portland 38-40--78; Scott Hval, Portland 36-42--78)
T32. Kentucky 75-79--154 (Davis Boland, Louisville 38-37--75; Tyler Sharpe, Greensburg 39-40--79; Joshua Rhodes, Paducah 43-44--87)
T32. Minnesota 77-77--154 (Andy Jacobson, Willmar 40-37--77; Matt Schneider, Cohasset 41-36--77; Jesse Larson, Shakopee 42-42--84)
T32. Texas 74-80--154 (Aaron Hickman, Tyler 38-36--74; Clarke Kincaid, Trophy Club 38-42--80; Lucas Boyd, Plano 41-39--80)
T32. Utah 74-80--154 (Dan Horner, Sandy 36-38--74; Jon Wright, Sandy 37-43--80; Jeff Jolley, S Jordan 40-44--84)
T32. Arizona 77-77--154 (Adam Walicki, Phoenix 37-40--77; Andy Aduddell, Avondale 40-37--77; Trey Martin, Scottsdale 39-42--81)
T37. Colorado 77-78--155 (Jon Lindstrom, Broomfield 36-41--77; Michael Harrington, Colorado Springs 39-39--78; Brian Dorfman, Greenwood Village 37-41--78)
T37. Illinois 73-82--155 (Dave Ryan, Taylorville 36-37--73; Andy Mickelson, Lockport 40-42--82; Todd Mitchell, Bloomington 42-40--82)
T39. Nebraska 77-79--156 (Rylee Reinertson, Gibbon 37-40--77; Ryan Nietfeldt, Elkhorn 39-40--79; John Sajevic, Fremont 39-41--80)
T39. New Jersey 76-80--156 (Brian Komline, Bridgewater 39-37--76; Niall Handley, West Caldwell 38-43--81; Mike Stamberger, Brielle 41-39--80)
T39. Montana 77-79--156 (Ben Leestma, Great Falls 40-37--77; Nathan Bailey, Laurel 38-41--79; Jerry Pearsall, Billings 40-40--80)
T39. Massachusetts 78-78--156 (Brian Higgins, Bellingham 38-40--78; Doug Clapp, Walpole 35-43--78; Herbie Aikens, Kingston 41-42--83)
43. Alabama 75-82--157 (Victor Kyatt III, Hoover 38-37--75; Lew Mitchell, Troy 41-41--82; Andy Mc Rae, Hoover 42-45--87)
44. Wyoming 78-80--158 (Todd Griffin, Rock Springs 40-38--78; John Hornbeck, Saratoga 38-42--80; Todd Van Rensselaer, Douglas 41-40--81)
45. District of Columbia 78-81--159 (Frank Alafoginis, Washington 37-41--78; Rich Sobonya, Washington 42-39--81; Mychael Cohn, Washington 39-47--86)
46. Mississippi 79-81--160 (Eddie Brescher, Jackson 40-39--79; Alex Rowland, Houston 44-37--81; Clay Homan, Starkville 40-43--83)
T47. Idaho 79-82--161 (Everett Grimes 41-38--79; Darren Kuhn, Pocatello 37-45--82; Todd Points, Star 40-43--83)
T47. Nevada 78-83--161 (Brady Exber, Las Vegas 35-43--78; David Nelson, Reno 41-42--83; Ryan Mitchell, Incline Village 47-43--90)
49. North Dakota 79-84--163 (Josh Bergrud, Grand Forks 40-39--79; Tim Skarperud, Grand Forks 43-41--84; Chad Skarperud, Fargo 41-43--84)
50. Puerto Rico 79-89--168 (Raul Rivera, Toa Baja 40-39--79; Daniel Caban, Cabo Rojo 45-44--89; Roberto Fabelo, San Juan 40-50--90)
51. South Dakota 84-88--172 (Brandon Sigmund, Mitchell 39-45--84; Chris Long, Garretson 46-42--88; Ben Irlbeck, Sioux Falls 42-46--88)
52. Hawaii 87-89--176 (Carl Ho, Honolulu 40-47--87; Eric Le, Aiea 43-46--89; Kenji Miyata, Kapaa 43-50--93)
Galloway Township, N.J. – Revised groupings and starting times for Thursday’s second round of the 2012 USGA Men’s State Team Championship being conducted at the 6,963-yard, par-71 Galloway National Golf Club. (All times EDT)
Tee 1
7 a.m.: Roberto Fabelo, San Juan, PR; Everett Grimes, Idaho
7:09 a.m.: Daniel Caban, Cabo Rojo, PR; Darren Kuhn, Pocatello, Idaho
7:18 a.m.: Raul Rivera, Toa Baja, PR; Todd Points, Star, Idaho
7:27 a.m.: Chris Jenkins, Little Rock, Ark.; Chris Long, Garretson, S.D.; Todd Van Rensselaer, Douglas, Wyo.
7:36 a.m.: Wes McNulty, White Hall, Ark.; Ben Irlbeck, Sioux Falls, S.D.; Todd Griffin, Rock Springs, Wyo.
7:45 a.m.: Joey Nichols, Little Rock, Ark.; Brandon Sigmund, Mitchell, S.D.; John Hornbeck, Saratoga, Wyo.
7:54 a.m.: Tim Skarperud, Grand Forks, N.D.; Bob Stephens, Indianapolis, Ind.; Max Hosking, Madison, Wis.
8:03 a.m.: Josh Bergrud, Grand Forks, N.D.; Todd Palmer, Fishers, Ind.; Sam Frank, Madison, Wis.
8:12 a.m.: Chad Skarperud, Fargo, N.D.; Kenny Cook, Noblesville, Ind. ; Bob Gregorski, Menasha, Wis.
8:21 a.m.: Jeff Coffman, Oklahoma City, Okla.; Mark Cusic, California, Md.; Adam Walicki, Phoenix, Ariz.
8:30 a.m.: William J Lavender, Oklahoma City, Okla.; Michael Mulieri, Silver Spring, Md.; Trey Martin, Scottsdale, Ariz.
8:39 a.m.: Michael Hughett, Owasso, Okla.; Serge Hogg, Baltimore, Md.; Andy Aduddell, Avondale, Ariz.
8:48 a.m.: Tyler Simpson, Happy Valley, Ore.; Robert Gerwin II, Cincinnati, Ohio; Jeffrey Hatten, Farmington, Conn.
8:57 a.m.: Bill Winter, Portland, Ore.; Jeffrey Scohy, Bellbrook, Ohio; Brian Ahern, West Hartford, Conn.
9:06 a.m.: Scott Hval, Portland, Ore.; Bill Williamson, Cincinnati, Ohio; Matt Smith, Thompson, Conn.
Tee 10
7 a.m.: Kit Grove,Lawrence, Kan. ; Bruce Woodall,Yanceyville, N.C. ; Andy Mickelson,Lockport, Ill.
7:09 a.m.: Jack Courington,Wichita, Kan. ; Scott Harvey,Greensboro, N.C. ; Todd Mitchell,Bloomington, Ill.
7:18 a.m.: Zac Burton,Manhattan, Kan. ; Paul Simson,Raleigh, N.C.; Dave Ryan,Taylorville, Ill.
7:27 a.m.: Buck Brittain,Tazewell, Va.; William Mitchell,Roswell, Ga.; Nathan Smith,Pittsburgh, Pa.
7:36 a.m.: Scott Shingler,Haymarket, Va. ; Mark Strickland,Woodstock, Ga. ; Andrew Mason,Huntingdon Valley, Pa.
7:45 a.m.: Keith Decker,Martinsville, Va. ; David Noll Jr,Dalton, Ga. ; Sean Knapp,Oakmont, Pa.
7:54 a.m.: Bruce Wetherholt,Barboursville, W.Va. ; Craig Smith,Nashville, Tenn. ; Clarke Kincaid,Trophy Club, Texas
8:03 a.m.: Sam O'Dell,Hurricane, W.Va. ; Todd Burgan,Powell, Tenn. ; Aaron Hickman,Tyler, Texas
8:12 a.m.: Patrick Carter,Huntington, W.Va. ; Tim Jackson,Germantown, Tenn. ; Lucas Boyd,Plano, Texas
8:21 a.m.: Brian Higgins,Bellingham, Mass. ; Jeff Jolley,S Jordan, Utah ; Brian Komline,Bridgewater, N.J.
8:30 a.m.: Doug Clapp,Walpole, Mass. ; Dan Horner,Sandy, Utah ; Niall Handley,West Caldwell, N.J.
8:39 a.m.: Herbie Aikens,Kingston, Mass. ; Jon Wright,Sandy, Utah ; Mike Stamberger,Brielle, N.J.
Tee 1
12:10 p.m.: Simon Hagger, Hockessin, Del.; Frank Alafoginis, Washington, D.C.
12:19 p.m.: Chase Brockstedt, Rehoboth Beach, Del.; Rich Sobonya, Washington, D.C.
12:28 p.m.: Greg Wolfe, Newark, Del.; Mychael Cohn, Washington, D.C.
12:37 p.m.: Adam Baxter, Fairbanks, Alaska; D. J. Lantz, New London, N.H.; Kenji Miyata, Kapaa, Hawaii
12:46 p.m.: Kevin Daniels, Anchorage, Alaska; Joshua Chamberlain, Amherst, N.H.; Eric Le, Aiea, Hawaii
12:55 p.m.: Paul Blanche, Anchorage, Alaska; Ryan Kohler, Spofford, N.H.; Carl Ho, Honolulu, Hawaii
1:04 p.m.: Nathan Bailey, Laurel, Mont.; Jesse Larson, Shakopee, Minn.; David Nelson, Reno, Nev.
1:13 p.m.: Ben Leestma, Great Falls, Mont.; Andy Jacobson, Willmar, Minn.; Brady Exber, Las Vegas, Nev.
1:22 p.m.: Jerry Pearsall, Billings, Mont.; Matt Schneider, Cohasset, Minn.; Ryan Mitchell, Incline Village, Nev.
1:31 p.m.: Jason Gall, Augusta, Maine; Dennis Bull, Norwalk, Iowa; Michael Harrington, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1:40 p.m.: Mark Plummer, Manchester, Maine; Jon Olson, Ankeny, Iowa; Jon Lindstrom, Broomfield, Colo.
1:49 p.m.: Ricky Jones, Thomaston, Maine; Gene Elliott, West Des Moines, Iowa; Brian Dorfman, Greenwood Village, Colo.
1:58 p.m.: Brad Nurski, St. Joseph, Mo.; Devin Komline, Dorset, Vt.; Justin Knauber, Albuquerque, N.M.
2:07 p.m.: Nick Wilson, Columbia, Mo.; Mike Stackus, Barre, Vt.; Sam Saunders, Albuquerque, N.M.
2:16 p.m.: Richard Berkmeyer, Wildwood, Mo.; Garren Poirier, Killington, Vt.; Anton Salome, Socorro, N.M.
Tee 10
12:10 p.m.: Brad Valois, Warwick, R.I.; Jon Veneziano, Mount Dora, Fla.; Lew Mitchell, Troy, Ala.
12:19 p.m.: Bobby Leopold, Coventry, R.I.; Joe Alfieri II, Lutz, Fla.; Victor Kyatt III, Hoover, Ala.
12:28 p.m.: Charlie Blanchard, North Providence, R.I.; Don Bell, Port Orange, Fla.; Andy McRae, Hoover, Ala.
12:37 p.m.: Andrew Biggadike, Belmont, Calif.; Sean Packer, Seattle, Wash.; Todd White, Moore, S.C.
12:46 p.m.: Paul Misko, Thousand Oaks, Calif.; Mike Haack, Bellevue, Wash.; Josh Branyon, Honea Path, S.C.
12:55 p.m.: John McClure, Los Angeles, Calif.; Tom Brandes, Bellevue, Wash.; Steve Liebler, Irmo, S.C.
1:04 p.m.: Max Buckley, Rye, N.Y.; Davis Boland, Louisville, Ky.; Alex Rowland, Houston, Miss.
1:13 p.m.: Michael Miller, Brewster, N.Y.; Joshua Rhodes, Paducah, Ky.; Eddie Brescher, Jackson, Miss.
1:22 p.m.: Joseph Saladino, Huntington, N.Y.; Tyler Sharpe, Greensburg, Ky.; Clay Homan, Starkville, Miss.
1:31 p.m.: Drew Preston, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Robby McWilliams, Bossier City, La.; Rylee Reinertson, Gibbon, Neb.
1:40 p.m.: Brian Hayward, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Matt Nicholas, Lake Charles, La.; John Sajevic, Fremont, Neb.
1:49 p.m.: Tom Werkmeister, Kentwood, Mich.; Patrick Christovich, New Orleans, La.; Ryan Nietfeldt, Elkhorn, Neb.