Jones Cup: North Carolina's David Ford and Peter Fountain set early pace
David Ford (UNC Athletics photo)
There is plenty of Carolina Blue at the top of the leaderboard after the first round of the Jones Cup at Ocean Forest Golf Club on Sea Island, Ga.
North Carolina teammates
David Ford and
Peter Fountain hold down the top two spots after carding opening rounds of 67 and 68, respectively, in the first major tournament of 2023, which consistently attracts one of the deepest fields of the year to the coastal Georgia layout.
Gordon Sargent Beginning his round on the par 5 10th hole, Ford quickly made amends for an opening bogey with birdies on holes 12, 13 and 14 to move to 2-under for his round. After giving a stroke back at the par 4 15th, the
Southern Amateur champion played his final 12 holes at 4-under to sign for an opening round 67.
Fountain, a junior at Chapel Hill who won the
2021 ACC individual championship, birdied three of his final five holes for an opening round 68.
"I didn't hit it super well but I feel I made just about everything I looked at," said Fountain, who one putted eight of his last 10 greens en route to his 68.
U.S. Amateur runner-up
Ben Carr and Auburn commit
Jackson Koivun are two back of Ford after turning in rounds of 70 while
Elite Amateur Cup series winner
Caleb Surratt is tied for fifth at 1-under par.
A third Tar Heel,
Western Amateur champion
Austin Greaser, is part of a large pack at even par.
NCAA men's individual champion Gordon Sargent, who yesterday received a
special invitation to play in the upcoming Masters Tournament, carded a 1-over round of 73 while defending
Jones Cup champion Palmer Jackson of Notre Dame opened with a 74, as did
U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Matthew McClean.
McClean is one of nine players in the field who are under consideration for Great Britain & Ireland's Walker Cup team.
The Jones Cup champion boasts an impressive list of past champions, including PGA Tour winners D.J. Trahan (2001), Luke List (2007), Kyle Stanley (2009), Patrick Reed (2010), Justin Thomas (2012) and Corey Conners (2014).
ABOUT THE Jones Cup
The Jones Cup is probably the biggest of the
springtime
amateur majors in the United States, and the reason
is the venue and the strong U.S. and
international field. The past champions list is littered
with PGA Tour stars, including Justin Thomas,
Patrick Reed, Luke List, Kyle Stanley, Beau Hossler
and
several others.
This 54-hole individual stroke-play event,
inaugurated
in 2001, is played at Ocean Forest Golf Club.
The Rees Jones design opened in 1995 and has
hosted
the Georgia State Amateur Championship, the
Southern Amateur Championship and the 2001
Walker
Cup Match. The Jones Cup brings together
many of the finest amateurs from the United States
and abroad for a three-day competition.
The Jones Cup was born from a deep commitment to
amateur golf by the A.W. Jones family, who
founded the Cloister and Sea Island Golf Club in
1928.
The Sea Island Golf Club has played host to
seven USGA championships. The Jones Cup is yet
another extension of the family's strong
involvement in amateur golf.
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