Mallonee fires a 65 to take 2-shot lead at Southeastern Amateur
Former Georgia State golfer Nathan Mallonee rode a red-hot putter to a 5-under-par 65 and the first-round lead Wednesday at the 82nd annual Southeastern Amateur.
Mallonee made seven birdies and just two bogeys at the Country Club of Columbus, which has turned No. 17, normally a par 5 for members, into a par 4 for this tournament.
“I didn’t hit the ball all that well,” Mallonee said. “But I made almost everything I looked at.”
He didn’t have to look too far as he made a pair of five-footers and the rest of the birdies came in the 15-foot range.
His best par-save of the day came the aforementioned 17th. He made a 14-foot putt to walk away 6-under.
But he made his second bogey on No. 18, which at the end of the day played into a strong wind.
Mallonee has a two-shot lead on a pair of golfers — Jake Kevorkian of St. Petersbug, Fla., and Jonathan Keppler of Marietta, Ga.
Five players are at 68 and six more are at 69.
Charlie Flowers shot the low score for the local players in the field. The former Columbus High golfer shot an even-par 70. He is in a three-way tie for 15th.
Mallonee, who went to Oglethorpe County High in Lexington, Ga., is coming off a strong senior season at Georgia State. He had two top-10 finishes and seven top-25s in 12 starts. He had a career-best third place finish in the Cabo del Sol Intercollegiate in Los Cabos, N.M.
“I haven’t been hitting the ball well for awhile,” Mallonee said. “It is something I have been working on a home.”
Two-time defending champion Grant Hirschman struggled to a 2-over 72. He is in a 12-way tie. He trailed by six shots after the first round last year.
Hirschman is trying to become only the second person to win three straight Southeastern Amateurs. Frank Garrard Jr, won in 1929-31.
Notes: The other players with local ties were Stanton Schorr (71), TaeHyung Kim (72), James Clark (72), Parker Derby (72), Bobby Brent III (73), Ben Carr (73), Gideon van der Vyver (76), David James (77) and Evans Copeland (79). … There were two weather delays, one right before noon and another right before 2 p.m. They lasted for a total of about 45 minutes.
Southeastern Amateur Results
Wednesday, June 15
First round, Par 70
Country Club of Columbus
Nathan Mallonee—65
Jake Kevorkian—67
Jonathan Keppler—67
Charles Kim—68
Andy Ogletree—68
Steven Fisk—68
Benjamin Shipp—68
Alastair Tidcombe—68
Shea Sylvester—69
Jared Bettcher—69
Chandler Blanchet—69
Cooper Musselman—69
Bryson Nimmer—69
Jake Marriott—69
Robby Prater—70
Charlie Flowers—70
Lloyd Jefferson Go—70
Stanton Schorr—71
Tyler Joiner—71
Bennett Baker—71
Chad Cox—71
Trace Crowe—71
Addison Coll—71
Michael Pisciotta—71
William Rainey—71
Forrest Knight—71
Henry Westmoreland—71
Peyton Sliger—71
David Snyder—71
Emerson Newsome—71
Harrison Shih—71
Michael Mattiace—71
Alfredo Ruiz—72
Blake Messer—72
TaeHyung Kim—72
Ethan Marcus—72
Ashton Poole—72
Dillon Board—72
Grant Hirschman—72
James Clark—72
Parker Derby—72
Richard Donegan—72
Steven Chervony—72
Wesley Gosselin—72
Mel Mendenhall—73
Bobby Brent III—73
Ben Carr—73
John Jonas—73
Rhyne Jones—73
Jack Larkin—73
Nix Duncan—73
Michael Hines—73
Will Miles—74
Jacob Morgan—74
Tanner Owens—74
Hunter Richardson—74
Hunter Wolcott—74
Dillon Woods—74
Andrew Novak—75
David Mackey—75
Caleb Proveaux—75
R.J. Keur—75
Ryan Celano—75
Elliott Grayson—75
Blake Dyer—75
Philip Knowles—75
Luke Schniederjans—75
Kerry Sweeney—75
Fred Allen Meyer—75
Gideon van der Vyver—76
Joo-Young Lee—76
Ethan Wagner—76
Taylor Riggs—76
Jonathan Newnham—77
Will Chandler—77
David James—77
Nicholas Cortez—77
Alex Handy—78
Jacob Joiner—78
Andrew Alligood—78
John Augenstein—78
Archer Price—78
Tye Waller—78
Carter Thompson—79
Evans Copeland—79
Christian Constance—80
Steve Setterstrom Jr.—80
Mike Lund—82
Connor Messick—82
Jared O’Kelley—WD
This story was originally published June 15, 2016 at 8:24 PM with the headline "Mallonee fires a 65 to take 2-shot lead at Southeastern Amateur."