Georgia standout Lee McCoy fired a 5-under 67 in the first round of the U.S. Amateur on the Atlanta Athletic Club’s Riverside Course on Monday.
It was a score that surprised him.
McCoy said he felt like he was hitting the ball sideways with his driver during warm-ups because he wasn’t comfortable with the positioning of his hands. Standing on the first tee, he remembered a good swing thought and things clicked for the rest of the round.
He birdied Nos. 1, 10, 11, 13 and 15. His momentum on the back nine started with a long par-saving on nine.
“I made a couple of long putts I shouldn’t have made and things went from there,” McCoy said.
McCoy said he wants to win the stroke-play portion of the event. The top 64 golfers after Tuesday will advance to the match-play portion of the tournament.
He said he won’t be too aggressive on the tougher Highlands Course on Tuesday, but he will try to make birdies. He has played one practice round on Highlands and also walked it on Sunday.
On a course made famous because of its association with Bobby Jones, a Georgia Tech alum, McCoy said it would be great to see a Georgia guy win the tournament.
“There are too many Yellow Jackets out there, it drives me crazy,” McCoy joked.
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