Willcox Shoots 67 for Open Lead
PRESTO, Pa. - Over the century-long history of the event, the Pennsylvania Open Championship has brought together the commonwealth's best golfers, both amateurs and professionals. Therefore it's fitting that this year's 100th edition saw an opening 18-hole round with 26 players under par at The Club at Nevillewood. Malvern professional Cole Willcox set the pace with an opening round of 67 to lead the championship, which is sponsored by Allegheny Health Network.
"I hit it pretty good all day," Willcox said. "I was happy to start out with a round like this."
With the Jack Nicklaus design playing at just over 7,200 yards, the course was sure to be a tough test for the state's best. But Willcox, who began his round on the back nine at 8:45 a.m., quickly showed that he would be a force. After an early birdie on the par-5 12th hole, he was still at 1-under par when he got to the 555-yard 15th. His drive left him 260 yards from the pin, and Willcox muscled a 6-iron onto the green and made the eagle putt to move to 3-under par. He then countered a bogey on the 16th with a bounceback birdie on the par-3 17th. He parred the 18th to make the turn at 33 (-3).
Willcox then made another bogey on the 427-yard first hole before beginning his run to the top of the leaderboard. A 30-foot putt fell on the par-4 second hole to move him back to 3-under. He two-putted for another birdie on the par-5 third hole. On No. 4, he drained a 15-footer for his third straight birdie. And finally, with his confidence high, he stuck his tee shot to six feet and made another birdie on the 195-yard fifth hole to move to 6-under. Only a bogey on No. 9, his final hole of the day, kept him from a bigger lead.
Six players are tied for second place at 4-under par after shooting 68. Among those are three amateurs and three professionals. The amateurs are Derek Evans of South Hills Country Club, Luke Miller of St. Clair Country Club and Ben Cooley of Huntingdon Valley Country Club. Evans made four birdies and an eagle against two bogeys for his 68. Miller, meanwhile, had a clean card, with four birdies but no bogeys. Cooley, on the other hand, made the turn at even par before going to the front side and making four birdies to shoot 32 on that side and 68 for the round.
On the professional side, John Spina of the Philadelphia Cricket Club, Stu Ingraham of MGOLF Learning Center and Devin Gee of Oakmont Country Club are the trio tied for second place. Spina birdied four of the first seven holes on his way to a 4-under round. Ingraham, the 1998 Open Champion who tied for second in the event last year at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, had an early bogey on No. 15 (his fifth hole of the day) but came back to card five birdies among his final 13 holes. Gee, coming off a win a few weeks back in the West Penn Open, had his only blemish on the scorecard with a bogey on the par-3 eighth hole.
This is the first time that The Club at Nevillewood has hosted the Pennsylvania Open. After tomorrow's second round, the field will be cut to the low 40 and ties for Wednesday's third and final round. The winner will see his name inscribed on the Arnold Palmer Trophy.
The Pennsylvania Golf Association would like to thank the staff and membership of The Club at Nevillewood for their hospitality during the championship.