BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Scott Harvey, 36, of Greensboro, N.C., shot a 6-under-par 65 Saturday to take the lead after the first day of stroke-play qualifying at the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, held at Saucon Valley Country Club. Harvey’s total was one stroke off the competitive course record at the par-71, 7,036-yard Old Course layout. The par-71, 7,068-yard Weyhill Course is also being used during stroke play.
Harvey, who advanced to the 2010 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinals and was a co-medalist in stroke play, had seven birdies and an eagle on the par-4 17th to go with three bogeys. His 65 tied the fifth-lowest score in Mid-Amateur stroke-play history and was only bettered on the Old Course by Bruce Fleisher’s 7-under 64 in the first round of the 2000 U.S. Senior Open.
I haven’t rolled the ball that well in the past couple of years but today they just started dropping left and right, said Harvey, who flirted with the course record until a bunkered tee shot on his final hole led to a bogey. To come out here and shoot that kind of round, it feels phenomenal.
The U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship consists of 36 holes of stroke play followed by six rounds of match play, with the championship scheduled to conclude with a 36-hole final this Thursday, starting at 7 a.m. EDT.
The U.S. Mid-Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
Harvey, who has advanced to match play in all six of his previous Mid-Amateur appearances, birdied four of his opening six holes. He played his 180-yard approach shot to within 12 feet right of the hole on the par-4 second to set up one birdie and later drained a 40-foot putt for another on the par-3 fourth.
After making his first bogey of the morning round on No. 10, Harvey regrouped with back-to-back birdies on holes 12 and 13. He made putts of 25 and three feet, respectively, to get himself to 5-under on the round.
I made a bomb on 12 and hit it close on 13 and that kind of picked my momentum back up, said Harvey, who reached the Round of 32 in match play the last two years.
Harvey put an exclamation point on his good play when he sank his approach shot with a wedge for an eagle on the par-4 17th.
I just took my driver and aimed down the right edge of the fairway, he said. I had 117 (yards) and I hit a 56-degree (wedge) and just knocked it right into the hole.
Kenny Ebalo, 31, of Las Vegas, Nev., was the lone player to break par on the Saucon Valley’s Weyhill Course with a 1-under 70 and is among a group of five players who are five strokes off Harvey’s pace.
Chipping (at Weyhill) is a bit more difficult just because of the firmness of the greens, said Ebalo, who is playing in his second Mid-Amateur and hit 15 greens in regulation during the afternoon round. I played back off the tee today. I made sure I was playing out of the fairway.
Bill Williamson, 37, of Cincinnati, Ohio, was one of four players who shot 1-under par at the Old Course. Williamson, last year’s Mid-Amateur runner-up, made three birdies and two bogeys. Starting at the 10th hole, he ignited his round by making a 30-footer for birdie on No. 15 and a par-saving 10-foot putt on the following hole.
I didn’t make very many mistakes, he said. I kept it in play. I didn’t make a lot of putts but I made the ones I was supposed to make.
Don Bell, 50, of Port Orange, Fla., Matthew Salane, 32, of Columbia, S.C., and Chadd Slutzky, 37, of Deer Park, Ill., also broke par. Bell, a reinstated amateur who twice won the Norwegian Order of Merit as a professional, credited his ball-striking as the key to his round of 70. Salane, who works with attorneys as a litigation manager, shot 3-under 33 on his outward nine.
I wasn’t expecting to come out and shoot 3-under on the first nine but it was a pleasant surprise, he said. Weyhill is going to play tougher. The thickness of the rough will be a challenge. It’s going to be even more of a premium to hit in the fairways and hit on the greens.
Slutzky, who played in the afternoon and I scompeting in his third Mid-Amateur, made three birdies on his outward nine. He got up and down from a greenside bunker on the 602-yard, par-5 15th and delivered a lob wedge to within 4 feet on No. 17 for his third birdie before the turn.
Defending U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Michael McCoy, 51, of West Des Moines, Iowa, fashioned a 2-over-par 73 in the first round. McCoy, who was the low amateur at this year’s U.S. Senior Open, totaled four birdies but countered that production with two double bogeys.
B.W. Bruce, 43, of Marion, Ill., recorded a hole-on-one on the Weyhill Course’s 138-yard, par-3 sixth. Bruce, who used a 9-iron to record the 23rd ace in Mid-Amateur annals, finished with a 6-over 77.
But it is Harvey who has a large lead heading into Sunday’s second-round of stroke play.
It’s a long, long week but it’s great to have a cushion, he said. These courses are tough and anything can happen. But then after stroke play it’s just like a reset button.
Brian DePasquale is the USGA’s manager of championship communications. E-mail him at bdepasquale@usga.org.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Results from Saturday’s first round of stroke play at the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, played at 7,036-yard, par-71 Saucon Valley Country Club (Old Course) and 7,068-yard, par-71 Saucon Valley Country Club (Weyhill Course). OC=Old Course; WC=Weyhill Course
Scott Harvey, Greensboro, N.C. 32-33--65 OC
Bill Williamson, Cincinnati, Ohio 35-35--70 OC
Chadd Slutzky, Deer Park, Ill. 37-33--70 OC
Don Bell, Port Orange, Fla. 36-34--70 OC
Kenny Ebalo, Las Vegas, Nev. 36-34--70 WC
Matthew Salane, Columbia, S.C. 33-37--70 OC
Brad Nurski, St. Joseph, Mo. 38-33--71 WC
David Bennett, Meadow Vista, Calif. 36-35--71 WC
Devlin Walsh, Napanoch, N.Y. 35-36--71 WC
Luke Bakke, Seattle, Wash. 36-35--71 WC
Matthew Swan, Atlanta, Ga. 36-35--71 OC
Todd Burgan, Knoxville, Tenn. 37-35--72 OC
Aaron Crewse, North Canton, Ohio 37-35--72 OC
Hunter Bronson, Montgomery, Ala. 38-34--72 OC
John McClure, Austin, Texas 35-37--72 WC
Ricky Jones, Thomaston, Maine 37-35--72 WC
Brian Edick, Valencia, Calif. 37-36--73 OC
Carlton Forrester, Atlanta, Ga. 37-36--73 WC
Christopher Baloga, Baltimore, Md. 38-35--73 WC
Clark Mitzner, Dallas, Texas 38-35--73 WC
Dave Womack, McDonough, Ga. 36-37--73 OC
Denver Haddix, Lexington, Ky. 37-36--73 WC
Erik Ehlert, Raleigh, N.C. 36-37--73 WC
Greg Hamilton, Atlanta, Ga. 36-37--73 WC
John Patterson, Bluffton, S.C. 35-38--73 WC
Joseph Saladino, Huntington, N.Y. 36-37--73 OC
Keith Humerickhouse, Eagle, Colo. 37-36--73 WC
Kevin Marsh, Henderson, Nev. 36-37--73 WC
Michael McCoy, Des Moines, Iowa 38-35--73 OC
Michael Muehr, Potomac Falls, Va. 36-37--73 OC
Stephen McKalko, Troy, Mich. 37-36--73 WC
Todd White, Spartanburg, S.C. 37-36--73 OC
Brandon Aydlett, Metairie, La. 37-37--74 OC
Alex Downing, Lees Summit, Mo. 38-36--74 WC
Alex Rodger, Cincinnati, Ohio 35-39--74 WC
Andy Roberts, Owensboro, Ky. 40-34--74 OC
Brett Viboch, Carlsbad, Calif. 40-34--74 WC
Brian Hickey, Downers Grove, Ill. 38-36--74 WC
Daniel Belden, Akron, Ohio 38-36--74 WC
Jeffrey Osberg, West Chester, Pa. 35-39--74 WC
Jeremy Defalco, Tucson, Ariz. 40-34--74 WC
Jesse Hibler, Meridian, Idaho 35-39--74 WC
John Brennan, Audubon, Pa. 37-37--74 OC
John Kelly, East Longmeadow, Mass. 35-39--74 WC
Jon Olson, Ankeny, Iowa 39-35--74 WC
Justin Jarvis, Halethorpe, Md. 37-37--74 WC
Kevin Wolf, Lodi, Calif. 37-37--74 OC
Mark Neider, Sandy, Utah 36-38--74 OC
Matt Schneider, Chandler, Ariz. 36-38--74 OC
Matthew Cooper, Memphis, Tenn. 35-39--74 WC
Matthew Kilgo, Charlotte, N.C. 35-39--74 WC
Matthew Mattare, Jersey City, N.J. 38-36--74 WC
Michael Castleforte, Chicago, Ill. 40-34--74 OC
Michael Harrington, Colorado Springs, Colo. 37-37--74 OC
Michael Martin, Scottsdale, Ariz. 37-37--74 WC
Mike Weeks, Jupiter, Fla. 35-39--74 WC
Patrick Christovich, New Orleans, La. 36-38--74 OC
Ramie Sprinkling, Camarillo, Calif. 36-38--74 OC
Ronald Denunzio, Jeannette, Pa. 39-35--74 OC
Ryan Nietfeldt, Elkhorn, Neb. 36-38--74 WC
Thad Hudgens, Longwood, Fla. 36-38--74 WC
David Bartman, Los Angeles, Calif. 38-37--75 OC
Corby Segal, Santa Clarita, Calif. 39-36--75 OC
Daniel Young, Chicago, Ill. 38-37--75 OC
Andrew Wyatt, Midland, Texas 35-40--75 WC
Andy Latowski, Plainsboro, N.J. 39-36--75 OC
Benjamin Wescoe, New York, N.Y. 38-37--75 WC
Brad Valois, Warwick, R.I. 37-38--75 WC
Brandon Laird, Biloxi, Miss. 39-36--75 WC
Dan Sullivan, Pasadena, Calif. 38-37--75 OC
Derek Meinhart, Mattoon, Ill. 39-36--75 OC
Don Dubois, Newport Beach, Calif. 38-37--75 OC
Dylan Gergen, Mendota Heights, Minn. 38-37--75 WC
Eric Burch, Machesney Park, Ill. 35-40--75 WC
Eric Deutsch, Rochester, Minn. 38-37--75 WC
Jeffrey Fortson, Palm Desert, Calif. 38-37--75 OC
John Pitt, Raleigh, N.C. 40-35--75 OC
Jonas Mikals, Truckee, Calif. 37-38--75 WC
Kevin Beavers, Seattle, Wash. 39-36--75 OC
Luke Phillips, Edmond, Okla. 39-36--75 OC
Mark Ewing, Gilbert, Ariz. 38-37--75 WC
Ned Zachar, Bedford, N.Y. 39-36--75 OC
Shane Sigsbee, Las Vegas, Nev. 38-37--75 OC
Stephen Anderson, Hobe Sound, Fla. 36-39--75 OC
Stephen Cox, Jonesboro, Ark. 39-36--75 OC
Tom Werkmeister, Kentwood, Mich. 40-35--75 OC
David Weisfield, Scarsdale, N.Y. 37-39--76 OC
Austin Eaton III, Lakeville, Minn. 41-35--76 OC
Bradley Bastion, Shelby Township, Mich. 37-39--76 OC
Cortland Lowe, Austin, Texas 39-37--76 OC
Craig Larson, Tacoma, Wash. 39-37--76 OC
Dan Arison, Fairlawn, Ohio 37-39--76 WC
Dan Ellis, Negaunee, Mich. 39-37--76 OC
David Brown, Pittsburgh, Pa. 38-38--76 WC
Doug Clapp, Walpole, Mass. 39-37--76 WC
Garren Poirier, Killington, Vt. 39-37--76 WC
Gavin Lyons, Durango, Colo. 38-38--76 WC
Jaime Girardi, New Port Richey, Fla. 36-40--76 WC
John Dowdall, Richmond, Texas 39-37--76 WC
Jon Veneziano, Mount Dora, Fla. 36-40--76 WC
Ken Tanigawa, Paradise Valley, Ariz. 36-40--76 OC
Kevin Grabeman, Columbus, Ohio 38-38--76 OC
Mark Scheibach, La Quinta, Calif. 37-39--76 WC
Matthew Holub, Oxford, Conn. 38-38--76 WC
Mike Dunham, Concord, Mass. 37-39--76 OC
Nathan Celusta, Newbury Park, Calif. 40-36--76 WC
Nathan Smith, Pittsburgh, Pa. 39-37--76 OC
Nick Desai, Zambia 38-38--76 OC
Nick Geyer, Albuquerque, N.M. 38-38--76 OC
Preston Smith, Fortville, Ind. 37-39--76 WC
Robbie Wight, West Palm Beach, Fla. 37-39--76 WC
Scott McNeil, Philadelphia, Pa. 39-37--76 OC
Scott Shingler, Haymarket, Va. 40-36--76 WC
Stan Payne, Little Rock, Ark. 36-40--76 OC
Ted Waldrip, Arlington, Texas 39-37--76 WC
Tim Jackson, Germantown, Tenn. 38-38--76 OC
TJ Brudzinski, Columbus, Ohio 38-38--76 OC
Michael Haack, Renton, Wash. 38-39--77 OC
Andrew Tindall, Manchester, Mich. 40-37--77 WC
Andy Tiedt, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 35-42--77 OC
B.W. Bruce, Marion, Ill. 38-39--77 WC
Ben Murphy, Chicago, Ill. 37-40--77 OC
Bill Sharpe, Albany, Ga. 37-40--77 WC
Brandan Kop, Pearl City, Hawaii 38-39--77 OC
Brett Williams, Baldwin, Md. 40-37--77 OC
Drew Allenspach, Louisville, Ky. 38-39--77 WC
Jeff Frazier, Mechanicsburg, Pa. 38-39--77 WC
Jeff Golden, Jacksonville, Fla. 39-38--77 OC
John Walker, Macon, Ga. 39-38--77 WC
Joseph Rice IV, Dunkirk, Md. 40-37--77 WC
Kenny Cook, Noblesville, Ind. 39-38--77 OC
Michael Green, Augusta, Ga. 39-38--77 OC
Pete Krsnich, Wichita, Kan. 42-35--77 WC
Randal Lewis, Alma, Mich. 37-40--77 OC
Randy Lance, The Woodlands, Texas 43-34--77 OC
Rob Clever, Firestone, Colo. 37-40--77 WC
Rodney Thompson, Katy, Texas 42-35--77 OC
Ryan Brimley, Sandy, Utah 38-39--77 OC
Ryan Panichpakdee, Long Beach, Calif. 40-37--77 WC
Scott Ehrlich, Bethesda, Md. 39-38--77 WC
Steve Wilson, St. Martin, Miss. 40-37--77 OC
Thomas Brennan, Covington, La. 40-37--77 WC
Timothy Kane, Rockville, Md. 39-38--77 OC
Trevor Hyde, Kerrville, Texas 39-38--77 OC
William Brafford, Gilbert, Ariz. 39-38--77 WC
Andy Roderique, Frankfort, Ill. 38-40--78 OC
Douglas Hanzel, Savannah, Ga. 38-40--78 OC
Eric Lefante, Branchburg, N.J. 38-40--78 OC
Garrett King, St Simons Island, Ga. 39-39--78 OC
German Tagle, Argentina 39-39--78 OC
James Scorse, Churchville, N.Y. 40-38--78 WC
John Eades, Charlotte, N.C. 40-38--78 WC
John Sawin, San Francisco, Calif. 40-38--78 WC
Jordan Kaplan, Plainview, N.Y. 39-39--78 WC
Josh Irving, Fort Worth, Texas 40-38--78 WC
Keith Blythe, Decatur, Ind. 41-37--78 WC
Luis Romero, Huntington Beach, Calif. 37-41--78 OC
Marc Chandonnet, Lowell, Mass. 39-39--78 WC
Matt Cohn, San Francisco, Calif. 42-36--78 OC
Michael Walton, Indian Wells, Calif. 37-41--78 WC
Raman Luthra, East Amherst, N.Y. 41-37--78 OC
Robert F Gerwin II, Cincinnati, Ohio 39-39--78 WC
Robert Savarese, Jr., Lafayette Hill, Pa. 39-39--78 OC
Theodore Collins, San Francisco, Calif. 39-39--78 OC
Todd Mitchell, Bloomington, Ill. 38-40--78 OC
Tommy Clement, Mobile, Ala. 40-38--78 OC
Trevor Randolph, Franklin Lakes, N.J. 42-36--78 OC
Trevor Sauntry, Houston, Texas 40-38--78 OC
Walter Todd, Laurens, S.C. 39-39--78 OC
Zach Atkinson, Colleyville, Texas 37-41--78 WC
Brad Clark, Chapel Hill, N.C. 40-39--79 OC
Charlie Stevens, Wichita, Kan. 39-40--79 WC
Christopher Storck, Sinking Spring, Pa. 38-41--79 WC
Daniel Funk, Tulsa, Okla. 39-40--79 OC
Derek Busby, Ruston, La. 40-39--79 OC
Eric Lindquist, Los Angeles, Calif. 41-38--79 WC
Eric Peterson, Nampa, Idaho 36-43--79 WC
James Miller, Silver Creek, N.Y. 40-39--79 OC
Jimmy Ellis, McMurray, Pa. 40-39--79 WC
Jordan Burke, Needham, Mass. 41-38--79 OC
Kevin Carrigan, Canada 42-37--79 OC
Mark McLaughlin, Minneapolis, Minn. 42-37--79 OC
Matthew Gourgeot, Decatur, Ala. 37-42--79 OC
Michael Dlugos, West Covina, Calif. 40-39--79 OC
Michael Samp, Irving, Texas 41-38--79 OC
Nikhil Desai, Sanford, Fla. 40-39--79 WC
Patricio Alzamora, Peru 43-36--79 OC
Peter Davison, West Hartford, Conn. 41-38--79 WC
Preston Smith, Shreveport, La. 41-38--79 WC
Rob Chappell, Cincinnati, Ohio 39-40--79 OC
Steven Siers, Georgetown, Texas 39-40--79 WC
Tom Sullivan, Grosse Pointe, Mich. 38-41--79 WC
Alan Coshatt, Birmingham, Ala. 39-41--80 OC
Andrew Falcone, Duxbury, Mass. 41-39--80 OC
Andrew Grow, Middleton, Wis. 41-39--80 OC
Anthony Dietz, Highland, Mich. 39-41--80 WC
Bob Royak, Alpharetta, Ga. 41-39--80 WC
Brian Ahern, West Hartford, Conn. 41-39--80 OC
Brian Haskell, St Joseph, Mo. 39-41--80 OC
Brian Higgins, Bellingham, Mass. 38-42--80 WC
Cason Hammock, Columbus, Ga. 40-40--80 OC
J. Scott Oxandaboure, San Marcos, Calif. 39-41--80 WC
John Canova, Rockford, Ill. 42-38--80 OC
Jon Wright, Salt Lake City, Utah 44-36--80 OC
Josh Isler, West Chester, Pa. 40-40--80 WC
Kenneth Bakst, Riverhead, N.Y. 41-39--80 WC
Kyle Davis, Kennett Square, Pa. 39-41--80 WC
Lawrence Largent, Kingsport, Tenn. 39-41--80 OC
Rich Berglund, Pittsburgh, Pa. 38-42--80 OC
Richard Messina, Rockville Centre, N.Y. 39-41--80 WC
Tyler Barnes-Wolf, Houston, Texas 38-42--80 WC
Zachary Solomon, Sacramento, Calif. 39-41--80 OC
Bryon Shumate, Fort Smith, Ark. 41-40--81 OC
Ben Garrett, Seattle, Wash. 39-42--81 WC
Christopher Gilles, Lexington, Ky. 40-41--81 WC
Hans Albertsson, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. 41-40--81 WC
Jeffrey Santora, Millbury, Mass. 40-41--81 WC
Jordan Crampton, Canada 42-39--81 OC
Justin Warthen, Nipomo, Calif. 46-35--81 WC
Kyle Cox, Fishers, Ind. 39-42--81 OC
Mark Zbrzeznj, Avon, Colo. 38-43--81 WC
Michael Cushing, Bloomington, Ill. 40-41--81 WC
Peter Slaven, Chicago, Ill. 43-38--81 OC
Tim Beans, Newport Beach, Calif. 40-41--81 WC
Walter Gieselman, Commerce Township, Mich. 37-44--81 OC
Adam Pecora, Oyster Bay, N.Y. 40-42--82 WC
Brad Wilder, Fort Wright, Ky. 42-40--82 WC
Bradley Shaw, Santa Monica, Calif. 42-40--82 OC
Brian Kilduff, New York, N.Y. 40-42--82 WC
Chris Cassetta, Winston-Salem, N.C. 40-42--82 WC
Dan Jennings, Manhattan Beach, Calif. 39-43--82 OC
Douglas Stadler, Wexford, Pa. 42-40--82 OC
James Gallagher, Yorktown, Va. 39-43--82 WC
Jeremy Decko, Scottsdale, Ariz. 41-41--82 WC
John Hunter, Houston, Texas 43-39--82 WC
Lloyd Fisher, Dade City, Fla. 42-40--82 WC
Mark Cusic, California, Md. 40-42--82 WC
Richard Feldman, Bedford, N.Y. 41-41--82 WC
Scott Stevens, Pullman, Wash. 39-43--82 OC
Zach Fischl, Northampton, Pa. 43-39--82 WC
Benjamin Robertson, Nashville, Tenn. 41-42--83 WC
Blake Humbles, Alta Loma, Calif. 42-41--83 WC
Bubba Gwyn, Duluth, Ga. 41-42--83 OC
Cully Johnston, Chicago, Ill. 45-38--83 WC
Jordan Woolf, Fort Worth, Texas 39-44--83 WC
Thomas Roos, Centennial, Colo. 41-42--83 OC
Scott Stevens, Carlsbad, Calif. 45-39--84 OC
Robert Erling, Temecula, Calif. 44-40--84 OC
Peter Barron III, Mays Landing, N.J. 44-40--84 WC
Trent Roush, Mason, W.Va. 47-37--84 WC
Brian Kennedy, Highland Beach, Fla. 43-42--85 OC
Chuck Nettles, McMurray, Pa. 39-46--85 WC
Tom Nolan, Greensboro, N.C. 41-44--85 WC
Warren Vickers, Phoenix, Ariz. 44-41--85 OC
Mike Mueller, Fond du Lac, Wis. 41-45--86 WC
Chad Ibbotson, Sanford, Fla. 42-45--87 WC
James Chrisman, Bend, Ore. 43-44--87 OC
Kraig Rogers, Decatur, Ill. 42-45--87 WC
Mark McMahan, Anchorage, Alaska 43-46--89 OC
Gunn Murphy III, Greenville, S.C. 45-44--89 WC
Jay Dempsey, Glencoe, Ill. 47-42--89 OC
Mac McGee, Midland, Texas 46-44--90 OC
Alan Fadel, Toledo, Ohio WD