Smith and Unikel Are First-Round Leaders at U.S. Mid-Amateur

 
 NEWS RELEASE FROM USGA

VERO BEACH, Florida – Bryan Smith and Keith Unikel each carded rounds of 68 on Saturday to share the lead after the first day of stroke-play qualifying in the 2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at John’s Island Club.

Both players shot their scores on the par-71, 6,943-yard North Course. The par-72, 6,855-yard West Course is also being used during the stroke-play portion of the championship.

Smith, 30, of Jay, Vermont, made five birdies and two bogeys while competing in his first U.S. Mid-Amateur and second USGA championship. He credited saving par on No. 9 as the key to the round, when he overcame an errant tee shot and hit his fourth shot on the 565-yard, par 5 to within 3 feet.

“It’s a little surreal right now,” said Smith, who twice was a state amateur runner-up and works for a heating contractor. “I know I have the game to compete. I thought there would be some lower scores but at the same time I played well.”

Unikel, 36, of Potomac, Maryland, overcame a sluggish start when he double-bogeyed the par-4 third. He went on to string together birdies at holes 9 and 10 to get back to even par and finished  with birdies on Nos. 14, 17 and 18.

“I started driving it a lot better on the front nine after my start,” said Unikel, who also qualified for this year’s U.S. Amateur and U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. 

“Right out of the gate, I wasn’t hitting it on my lines and if you get it in the rough here, you can’t control the ball coming out.”

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 on Thursday, Oct. 8, starting at 7:30 a.m. EDT.

Scott Harvey, the defending Mid-Amateur champion, was among five players who fired 69s and are one back of the leaders. Harvey, 37, of Greensboro, North  Carolina and Marc Dull, 29, of Lakeland, Florida, shot their scores on the West Course, which will be used as the match-play course for the championship, starting on Monday with the Round of 64.

One of two mid-amateurs who played on the 2015 USA Walker Cup Team, Harvey vaulted into the lead with an eagle on the par-5 17th hole when he hit his 5-iron approach shot to within 15 feet below the hole.

“That’s the ultimate goal,” said Harvey, when asked about his attempt to become the first repeat champion since Nathan Smith in 2010. “I don’t want to lose and I know what it means to win.”

Mike McCoy, the 2013 Mid-Amateur winner and a member of this year’s USA Walker Cup Team, also had a 73. The 52-year-old from Des Moines, Iowa, had three birdies and five bogeys on the North Course.

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND SCORES
WC, West Course (Par 72, yardage 6,855); NC, North Course (Par 71, 6,943)
Bryan Smith, Jay, Vermont34-34--68 NC
Keith Unikel, Potomac, Maryland. 37-31--68 NC
Andrew Price, Lake Forest, Illinois. 35-34--69 NC
Marc Dull, Lakeland, Florida. 36-33--69 WC
Neil Trimm, Madison, Mississippi. 36-33--69 NC
Reid Hatley, Hayden Lake, Idaho 35-34--69 NC

Scott Harvey, Greensboro, North Carolina35-34--69 WC

Denver Haddix, Lexington, Kentucky. 35-35--70 WC
John Sawin, San Francisco, California. 36-34--70 WC
Matt Parziale, Brockton, Massachusetts. 35-35--70 NC
Scott Fawcett, Dallas, Texas 39-31--70 WC
Tyler Crawford, Indio, California. 34-36--70 WC

Andrew Wyatt, Midland, Texas 35-36--71 NC

Bob Royak, Alpharetta, Georgia 35-36--71 WC

Bowen Osborn, Los Angeles, California. 37-34--71 WC

Brad Gibson, Plano, Texas 34-37--71 WC

Brian Komline, Bridgewater, N.J. 36-35--71 WC

Brian Noonan, Austin, Texas 36-35--71 WC

Daniel Medina, El Paso, Texas 37-34--71 NC

Jay Whitby, Dover, Del. 34-37--71 NC

Joshua Irving, Dallas, Texas 36-35--71 NC

Matt Sughrue, Arlington, Va. 36-35--71 NC

Mike Smith, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. 35-36--71 NC

Pete Williams, Moscow, Idaho 36-35--71 WC

Sammy Schmitz, Farmington, Minn. 37-34--71 NC

David Bolen, Lubbock, Texas 41-31--72 WC

Erik Heggelund, Seattle, Wash. 37-35--72 NC

Erik Jarvey, Costa Mesa, Calif. 34-38--72 WC

Jake Yount, Danville, Calif. 38-34--72 WC

Justin Goodhue, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. 37-35--72 NC

Justin Tereshko, Greensboro, N.C. 36-36--72 WC

Mark Harrell, Lookout Mountain, Ga. 36-36--72 WC

Matthew Rendell, England 37-35--72 NC

Philip Lee, White Bluff, Tenn. 34-38--72 NC

Stephen Marland, England 36-36--72 NC

Brian Csipkes, Omaha, Neb. 38-35--73 NC

Brian Edick, Valencia, Calif. 36-37--73 WC
Charlie Blanchard, Warwick, R.I. 39-34--73 WC
Charlie Stevens, Wichita, Kan. 39-34--73 WC
Clint Provost, Birmingham, Ala. 37-36--73 WC
Colby Harwell, San Antonio, Texas 37-36--73 NC
Daniel Ragsdale, Oak Park, Calif. 39-34--73 WC
David Gies II, Charlotte, N.C. 38-35--73 NC
Hyuncheol Lee, Republic of Korea 38-35--73 NC
Jim Chang, San Marino, Calif. 37-36--73 WC

Joe Doody, Huntington Beach, Calif. 34-39--73 NC

Kevin Marsh, Las Vegas, Nev. 38-35--73 WC

Kyle Nathan, Glenview, Ill. 35-38--73 WC

Matthew Swan, Atlanta, Ga. 36-37--73 WC

Michael McCoy, Des Moines, Iowa 37-36--73 NC

Michael Muscatell, Charlotte, N.C. 36-37--73 WC

Rob Simmons, Beaufort, S.C. 37-36--73 NC

Todd White, Spartanburg, S.C. 37-36--73 NC

Brad Wilder, Fort Wright, Ky. 37-37--74 WC
Bradley Shaw, Santa Monica, Calif. 40-34--74 WC
Brady Exber, Las Vegas, Nev. 36-38--74 WC

Dave Ryan, Taylorville, Ill. 38-36--74 WC

Glenn Przybylski, Frankfort, Ill. 37-37--74 NC

Glenn Smeraglio, Newtown, Pa. 34-40--74 NC

Jeff Frazier, Mechanicsburg, Pa. 37-37--74 NC

Jeffrey Osberg, Bryn Mawr, Pa. 36-38--74 WC

Jess Daley, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. 38-36--74 NC

Joe Alfieri, Lutz, Fla. 38-36--74 NC

Jordan Burke, Needham, Mass. 38-36--74 WC

Joshua Rhodes, Paducah, Ky. 38-36--74 NC

Kevin Van Rossum, Hartland, Wis. 36-38--74 NC

Matt Collins, Powell, Ohio 38-36--74 NC

Matthew Fields, New York, N.Y. 36-38--74 WC

Matthew Lewis, Edwardsville, Ill. 38-36--74 WC
Michael Christensen, Minneapolis, Minn. 36-38--74 NC
Michael McDermott, Bryn Mawr, Pa. 36-38--74 NC
Michael Muehr, Potomac Falls, Va. 39-35--74 WC
Michael Pearson, Atlanta, Ga. 38-36--74 WC
Patrick Tallent, Vienna, Va. 38-36--74 NC

Rob Butler, Atlanta, Ga. 39-35--74 WC

Ryan Brimley, Heriman, Utah 37-37--74 NC

Ryan Deimel, Erie, Pa. 37-37--74 NC

Tom Werkmeister, Kentwood, Mich. 35-39--74 WC

Wes McNulty, White Hall, Ark. 37-37--74 NC

Adam Hofmann, Pittsburgh, Pa. 38-37--75 NC

Barry Erwin, Aurora, Colo. 38-37--75 WC

Bill Williamson, Cincinnati, Ohio 38-37--75 WC
Blair Webb, Avon, Ind. 40-35--75 NC

Bryant Lach, The Woodlands, Texas 34-41--75 NC

Chris Cassetta, Winston-Salem, N.C. 39-36--75 WC

Craig Erickson, Henderson, Nev. 39-36--75 WC

Dale Smith, Murrieta, Calif. 40-35--75 WC
Danny Nash, Howey In The Hills, Fla. 38-37--75 NC
Dave Bunker, Canada 38-37--75 WC
Dennis Bull, Des Moines, Iowa 36-39--75 WC

Jacob Rohde, Everett, Wash. 39-36--75 NC

Jeffrey Cox, Broken Arrow, Okla. 40-35--75 WC
Jimmy Chestnut, Royal Oak, Mich. 39-36--75 NC
Justin Young, Roanoke, Va. 38-37--75 WC
Keith Humerickhouse, Eagle, Colo. 40-35--75 NC
Michael Greene, Overland Park, Kan. 38-37--75 WC

Michael Marks, San Diego, Calif. 38-37--75 WC

Paul Simson, Raleigh, N.C. 38-37--75 WC

Steve Quillinan, Albany, N.Y. 37-38--75 NC

Steve Wilson, Biloxi, Miss. 35-40--75 NC

Tee Opperman, Pawleys Island, S.C. 37-38--75 WC
Tim Spitz, Rochester, N.Y. 35-40--75 WC

Tony Grillo, Jacksonville Beach, Fla. 39-36--75 WC

Adam Condello, Pittsford, N.Y. 39-37--76 WC

Aleksei Koika, Republic of Moldova 39-37--76 WC

Blake Johnson, Winnetka, Ill. 39-37--76 NC

Brett Hudson, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. 38-38--76 NC

Brian Ahern, West Hartford, Conn. 40-36--76 WC

Cory Mehl, Seattle, Wash. 36-40--76 WC

Danny Lovell, Dallas, Texas 39-37--76 WC

Darin Goldstein, New York, N.Y. 39-37--76 NC

David Noll Jr, Dalton, Ga. 38-38--76 WC

Eric Lodge, Houston, Texas 40-36--76 NC

Fred Rescigno Jr., Suwanee, Ga. 39-37--76 NC

Gene Elliott, West Des Moines, Iowa 39-37--76 NC

Jack Larkin, Atlanta, Ga. 40-36--76 NC

Jason Anthony, Fairfield, Calif. 38-38--76 WC

Jeff Golden, Jacksonville, Fla. 40-36--76 WC

Jeronimo Esteve, Miami, Fla. 39-37--76 NC

Joe Kastelic, Hickory, N.C. 38-38--76 NC

John Kelly, East Longmeadow, Mass. 39-37--76 NC
Kevin Fajt, Greensburg, Pa. 37-39--76 NC
Nathan Smith, Pittsburgh, Pa. 36-40--76 NC
Nigel Hawryliw, Muskegon, Mich. 41-35--76 WC
Packard Dewitt, Germantown, Tenn. 36-40--76 WC
Ryan Bogan, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. 38-38--76 NC

Steve Paterson, Austin, Texas 38-38--76 NC

William Snow, Vancouver, Wash. 37-39--76 WC

A.J. Oleksak, Longmeadow, Mass. 40-37--77 WC
Ben Westgate, Wales 38-39--77 NC
Brett Parker, Biloxi, Miss. 40-37--77 WC
Chris Schultz, La Porte, Ind. 38-39--77 WC
Dave Womack, McDonough, Ga. 41-36--77 NC
Jeff Wilson, Fairfield, Calif. 38-39--77 NC
Jeffrey Fortson, Palm Desert, Calif. 39-38--77 NC

Jim Dunlap, Beaverton, Ore. 41-36--77 WC

John Wright, Gulf Shores, Ala. 39-38--77 NC

Josh Anderson, Upper Arlington, Ohio 38-39--77 WC

Michael Natale, Indian Head Park, Ill. 39-38--77 WC

Nick Moore, Seaside, Calif. 37-40--77 WC

Reb Benton, Douglas, Ga. 40-37--77 WC

Robby McWilliams, Benton, La. 38-39--77 WC

Ryan Patrick, Reston, Va. 41-36--77 NC

Scotty Scott, Hoschton, Ga. 36-41--77 WC

Sean Daly, Visalia, Calif. 35-42--77 WC
Stephen McKalko, Troy, Mich. 41-36--77 WC
Taylor Dio, The Woodlands, Texas 38-39--77 WC

Timothy Driver, Holly Springs, N.C. 37-40--77 WC

Travis Woolf, Fort Worth, Texas 41-36--77 NC

Zake Masterson, Powell, Ohio 39-38--77 NC
Alan Boyko, Canada 39-39--78 NC
Andrew Tapia, Raton, N.M. 38-40--78 NC
Anthony Ciaccio, Rockford, Ill. 41-37--78 WC
Brad Nurski, St. Joseph, Mo. 39-39--78 NC

Brian Flanagan, Rye, N.Y. 38-40--78 WC

Brian Katrek, Mableton, Ga. 40-38--78 WC

Bryan Hoops, Chandler, Ariz. 39-39--78 NC

Chip Brooke, Bartow, Fla. 39-39--78 WC

Corby Segal, Santa Clarita, Calif. 41-37--78 WC

Cory Bacon, Cave Creek, Ariz. 44-34--78 WC

David Denunzio, Pittsburgh, Pa. 36-42--78 WC

Domingo Jojola, Burlingame, Calif. 40-38--78 WC

Jay Potter, Chattanooga, Tenn. 41-37--78 WC

Kolby Simmons, North Attleboro, Mass. 42-36--78 WC

Michael Cushing, Bloomington, Ill. 42-36--78 NC

Nick Lambos, Canton, Ohio 40-38--78 NC

Patrick Christovich, New Orleans, La. 39-39--78 NC

Patrick Hall, West Des Moines, Iowa 38-40--78 NC

Rich Messina, Garden City, N.Y. 39-39--78 WC

Rick Sulzer, Carrollton, Texas 38-40--78 WC

Robert Schustrich, Windham, Ohio 39-39--78 WC

Ryan Villarreal, San Antonio, Texas 39-39--78 NC

Scott Strickland, Birmingham, Mich. 40-38--78 WC

Stuart Wallace, Houston, Texas 40-38--78 NC

Thomas Todd, Laurens, S.C. 41-37--78 NC

Aaron Hickman, Tyler, Texas 37-42--79 WC
Craig Smith, Nashville, Tenn. 38-41--79 NC
Daniel Koernke, Phoenix, Ariz. 43-36--79 NC
Darrell Lutey, Las Vegas, Nev. 42-37--79 WC
David Collura, Austin, Texas 40-39--79 NC
Eric Burch, Rockford, Ill. 42-37--79 WC
JC Riter, Portland, Ore. 41-38--79 NC
Jordan Scott, Santa Barbara, Calif. 42-37--79 NC
Keith Blythe, Decatur, Ind. 40-39--79 WC
Kyle Simmons, Nashville, Tenn. 38-41--79 WC

Lawrence Haertel Jr., Greenwich, Conn. 41-38--79 NC

Leo Daigle, Wixom, Mich. 39-40--79 NC
Mark Gardiner, Schertz, Texas 42-37--79 NC
Matt Savage, Massillon, Ohio 38-41--79 NC
Matthew Salane, Jacksonville, Fla. 40-39--79 NC
Michael Harrington, Colorado Springs, Colo. 43-36--79 WC
Sam O'Dell, Hurricane, West Virginia. 40-39--79 WC
Travis Russell, Arlington, Virginia. 39-40--79 NC
Weston Parrish, Land O' Lakes, Fla. 40-39--79 WC
Aaron Gavin, South Milwaukee, Wis. 38-42--80 NC
Brian Whitman, Tinton Falls, N.J. 40-40--80 NC
Charles Waddell, Chicago, Ill. 39-41--80 NC
Dae Chung, San Diego, Calif. 40-40--80 NC
David Delich, Colorado Springs, Colo. 37-43--80 WC
Greg Puga, Long Beach, Calif. 40-40--80 WC
Joel B Johnson, Hugo, Minn. 41-39--80 NC
Michael Hammett, Hattiesburg, Miss. 38-42--80 WC
Mike Cromer, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 43-37--80 WC
Randal Lewis, Alma, Mich. 39-41--80 WC
Robbie Fillmore, Lehi, Utah 38-42--80 NC
Steven Groover, Hoover, Ala. 41-39--80 NC
Tim Mickelson, Tempe, Ariz. 39-41--80 NC
Todd Brown, Ada, Okla. 42-38--80 NC
Travis Steed, Macon, Ga. 40-40--80 WC
Wes Williams, Kingston Springs, Tenn. 39-41--80 NC
Benjamin Spitz, West Roxbury, Mass. 38-43--81 WC
Bill Jeremiah, West Grove, Pa. 41-40--81 WC
Brian Williams, New York, N.Y. 42-39--81 WC
Cameron Mackenzie, Canada 41-40--81 WC
Daniel Eggertsson, Royal Palm Beach, Fla. 41-40--81 WC
David May, Auburn, N.Y. 43-38--81 NC
Jaime Girardi, New Port Richey, Fla. 41-40--81 WC
James Mastaglio, Garden City, N.Y. 42-39--81 WC
Joseph Saladino, Huntington, N.Y. 40-41--81 NC
Michael McGuire, Lewis Center, Ohio 42-39--81 NC
Michael Standard, McDonough, Ga. 40-41--81 WC
Scott Storck, Philadelphia, Pa. 41-40--81 NC
Stephen Callahan, Juno Beach, Fla. 44-37--81 NC
Andy McCabe, Dallas, Texas 42-40--82 NC
Charles Archer, Heath, Texas 40-42--82 WC
Darrin Overson, Provo, Utah 39-43--82 WC
Endel Liias, Washington, D.C. 42-40--82 NC
Joe McCormick, Hutchinson, Minn. 43-39--82 WC
John Browndorf, Red Bank, N.J. 42-40--82 WC
Jonathon Coats, Virginia Beach, Va. 42-40--82 NC
Josh Lampley, Gulfport, Miss. 42-40--82 NC
Matthew Carsey, Omaha, Neb. 44-38--82 NC
Ryan Henry, Broken Arrow, Okla. 40-42--82 NC
Troy Logan, Chicago, Ill. 42-40--82 NC
Matthew Latham, England 40-43--83 WC
Noah Lawson, Blaine, Minn. 41-42--83 NC
Rodean Minto, Jamaica 39-44--83 WC
Scott Lamond, Chevy Chase, Md. 41-42--83 NC
Walt Moffitt, Chattanooga, Tenn. 39-44--83 WC
Adam Baxter, Anchorage, Alaska 43-41--84 WC
Clayton Davidson, Mechanicsburg, Pa. 46-38--84 NC
Denny Pelle, Scottsdale, Ariz. 42-42--84 WC
Jon Peterson, Granite Bay, Calif. 45-39--84 NC
Mark Harding, Hermosa Beach, Calif. 44-40--84 WC
Michael Basinski, Grand Rapids, Mich. 43-41--84 NC
Mitchell Wayne, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. 40-44--84 NC
Satchel Herrmann, Ventura, Calif. 39-45--84 WC
David Moore, Monterey, Calif. 47-38--85 WC
Matthew Steger, Canada 43-42--85 WC
Michael Walker, Marstons Mills, Mass. 41-44--85 NC
Robert Bechtold, Avondale, Pa. 42-43--85 NC
Brandon Haase, Delmar, N.Y. 42-44--86 NC
Cary Tremper, Dallas, Texas 43-43--86 NC
Brad McFadden, Bryn Mawr, Pa. 41-46--87 WC
Chris Holland, Fayetteville, N.C. 46-41--87 WC
Cory Henry, Algonquin, Ill. 41-46--87 NC
Ken Kinkopf, Dublin, Ohio 44-43--87 NC
Scott Hasley, Winnetka, Ill. 43-44--87 NC

Will Andersen, Dakota City, Neb. 44-43--87 NC

Danny Ott, Potomac Falls, Va. 43-45--88 NC

Nathan Young, Oak Ridge, N.C. 44-44--88 NC

Roger Eichhorn, Australia 43-45--88 WC

Chad Bolt, Grove City, Ohio 51-39--90 NC

Howard Oliver, Oakland, Calif. 49-41--90 WC