Team captain Jim Durr led the way for his Ohio foursome in the opening round of the U.S. Senior Challenge, contributing four birdies to help Ohio finish 3 under and three strokes ahead of the competition.
The U.S. Senior Challenge offers senior amateur players a unique opportunity to compete in a team atmosphere, representing their home state in four-man teams. In the first round at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia, each team was paired together, and the team score consisted of the three best scores on each hole.
Despite a rocky start with a birdie, bogey, and double on their opening 13th hole, Ohio finished the day at 3-under 213 in this format which featured a shotgun start.
Mike Quinlan, executive director of the U.S. Senior Challenge, emphasized the opportunity for teams to make a comeback and highlighted the camaraderie and competitive spirit of the event.
California, captained by Nicholas Bock, and Texas, captained by Gary Mundy, are both even par after the opening day.
Going forward, teams will compete individually for both the team and individual titles in each of the four age divisions. In the second round, players will be grouped based on their first-round scores, with the state team score determined by the best three 18-hole scores on each four-man team.
Individually, Crispin Fuentes posted the low round of the day with a 2-under 69, leading the super senior division by one stroke over Durr and Tommy Reynolds.
Bill Engel also finished under par with a 1-under 70, giving him a one-shot lead in the super legend division.
Trey Womack leads the senior division at 1-over 72, while a three-way tie at 2 over in the legend division includes Dan Pouliot, Brad Mosing, and Richard Doebler.
