WEB.COM TOUR EVENT REPORT AND SCORES
GUNN STOPS THE ROT WITH A 70 IN
LOUISANA OPEN ... but he's only tied 68th
Jimmy Gunn showed something more like his true form with a one-under-par 70 in the first round of this week's Web.com Tour event, the Louisiana Open.
Mind you, the standard of play on the No 2 men's pro circuit in the States is so high that Gunn's performance was good enough only to have him sharing 68th place.
The projected cut mark after two rounds is two under par aggregates which means that Gunn needs at least to repeat his 70 to make his first Web.com Tour cut of the year.
Kyle Reifers fired a 6-under 65 to grab a share of the first-round lead.
By Joe Chemycz, Web.com Tour staff
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LOUISANA OPEN ... but he's only tied 68th
Jimmy Gunn showed something more like his true form with a one-under-par 70 in the first round of this week's Web.com Tour event, the Louisiana Open.
Mind you, the standard of play on the No 2 men's pro circuit in the States is so high that Gunn's performance was good enough only to have him sharing 68th place.
The projected cut mark after two rounds is two under par aggregates which means that Gunn needs at least to repeat his 70 to make his first Web.com Tour cut of the year.
Kyle Reifers fired a 6-under 65 to grab a share of the first-round lead.
By Joe Chemycz, Web.com Tour staff
BROUSSARD, Louisiana – Ryan Blaum and Kyle Reifers took advantage of some
early tee times to post 6-under 65s Thursday and share the first-round
lead in the 23rd Chitimacha Louisiana Open.
Winds were steady most of the day at the Le Triomphe Country Club outside Lafayette but the co-leaders, and those in the morning half of the day, didn’t have to battle the additional nuisance of afternoon rains. Stronger storms never materialized but officials decided to play the round under lift, clean and place conditions.
Morning starters Fabian Gomez, the 2010 champion, Doug LaBelle II and Jeff Curl posted 66s and are one back along with veteran Glen Day. Monday qualifier Ryan Baca of Sugar Land, Texas, is also at 5-under par but couldn’t beat the darkness and will have to return in the morning to putt out at 17 and then play the 18th.
Among those tied for 8th at 4-under 67 is Colombia’s Andres Echavarria, who was a senior at the University of Florida and runner-up in 2011 while playing as an amateur.
“I’m very satisfied. I haven’t gotten off to a very good start this year,” said Blaum, who has missed two cuts in his first four starts this season. “I’ve been hitting the ball well but not really scoring.”
This was the first time in 2014 the former Duke standout managed to break par in the opening round.
“Hitting the greens is one thing but hitting greens in certain proximity to the hole is another,” he said.
Maybe the proximity to being ‘home’ has something to do with it.
Blaum’s mother grew up in Alexandria, about 90 miles away. His parents both attended Louisiana State Universityw here his father, Steve, played defensive back for the Tigers and his younger brother, Brent, played on the golf team from 2006-10.
“I’m the one guy who didn’t go to LSU but this is a blast this week,” said Blaum, who is hoping to make the drive to Alexandria to see his grandparents.
“I grew up eating Cajun food. My favourite meal is when my mom makes shrimp creole and jambalaya.”
Reifers was also steady, hitting 16 greens in regulation while assuming a share of the top spot.
“There’s some considerable wind out there and at times it’s a couple of clubs,” he said.
“You just have to play for it. I played solid all day. Even my two bogeys were pretty good shots and pretty good putts. You have to have the mindset not to let those affect you.”
Reifers rallied with a couple of birdies at Nos. 7 and 8 to join Blaum, who vaulted to the top with six birdies in a seven-hole stretch.
“I’ve been here enough years that I’ve played in all kinds of wind conditions so I think I’ve got a pretty good feel for what to hit,” said Reifers, who finished T2 in 2010. “The greens are pretty quick and you almost have to play for a little wind on some of the putts.”
Winds were steady most of the day at the Le Triomphe Country Club outside Lafayette but the co-leaders, and those in the morning half of the day, didn’t have to battle the additional nuisance of afternoon rains. Stronger storms never materialized but officials decided to play the round under lift, clean and place conditions.
Morning starters Fabian Gomez, the 2010 champion, Doug LaBelle II and Jeff Curl posted 66s and are one back along with veteran Glen Day. Monday qualifier Ryan Baca of Sugar Land, Texas, is also at 5-under par but couldn’t beat the darkness and will have to return in the morning to putt out at 17 and then play the 18th.
Among those tied for 8th at 4-under 67 is Colombia’s Andres Echavarria, who was a senior at the University of Florida and runner-up in 2011 while playing as an amateur.
“I’m very satisfied. I haven’t gotten off to a very good start this year,” said Blaum, who has missed two cuts in his first four starts this season. “I’ve been hitting the ball well but not really scoring.”
This was the first time in 2014 the former Duke standout managed to break par in the opening round.
“Hitting the greens is one thing but hitting greens in certain proximity to the hole is another,” he said.
Maybe the proximity to being ‘home’ has something to do with it.
Blaum’s mother grew up in Alexandria, about 90 miles away. His parents both attended Louisiana State Universityw here his father, Steve, played defensive back for the Tigers and his younger brother, Brent, played on the golf team from 2006-10.
“I’m the one guy who didn’t go to LSU but this is a blast this week,” said Blaum, who is hoping to make the drive to Alexandria to see his grandparents.
“I grew up eating Cajun food. My favourite meal is when my mom makes shrimp creole and jambalaya.”
Reifers was also steady, hitting 16 greens in regulation while assuming a share of the top spot.
“There’s some considerable wind out there and at times it’s a couple of clubs,” he said.
“You just have to play for it. I played solid all day. Even my two bogeys were pretty good shots and pretty good putts. You have to have the mindset not to let those affect you.”
Reifers rallied with a couple of birdies at Nos. 7 and 8 to join Blaum, who vaulted to the top with six birdies in a seven-hole stretch.
“I’ve been here enough years that I’ve played in all kinds of wind conditions so I think I’ve got a pretty good feel for what to hit,” said Reifers, who finished T2 in 2010. “The greens are pretty quick and you almost have to play for a little wind on some of the putts.”
• Thursday weather: Cloudy skies. Winds SE 15-20 mph. Daytime high of 68 degrees, overnight low of 52.
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TO VIEW ALL THE FIRST-ROUND SCORES
Labels: NATIONWIDE TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Thursday, March 27, 2014
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