Chad Wilfong, 37, of Charlotte and Joshua Irving, 31, of Dallas each shot 3-under par Saturday to share the lead after the first round of stroke play in the 2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.
The United States Golf Association (USGA) has postponed Sunday’s second round due to the forecast for severe weather. Play is slated to resume on Monday.
Wilfong carded a 67 at the par-70, 7,207-yard Capital City Club’s Crabapple Course, while Irving fashioned a 68 at the par-71, 6,784-yard Atlanta National Golf Club, which is serving as the championship’s stroke-play co-host.
Wilfong, who is playing in his first USGA championship after competing on the Nationwide Tour (now Web.com) from 2003-06, posted a bogey-free round at Capital City Club-Crabapple.
Wilfong rolled in a 45-foot birdie putt on the par-3 sixth hole and finished off his opening nine by striking a 6-iron approach to within 8 feet to set up another birdie. He used a 60-degree wedge to get up and down from in front the green for his third birdie at the 537-yard, par-5 12th.
Irving, who advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2015 and 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateurs, recorded four birdies in six holes during his outward nine. He sank putts of 5 and 6 feet on holes 15 and 16, respectively, and holed a 25-footer on No. 17.
Bradford Tilley, 34, of Easton, Conn., and Justin Kaplan, 29, of Houston, Texas, each carded a 69 at Atlanta National and are among four players at 2-under par. Tilley posted five birdies and two bogeys. Kaplan overcame a shaky start by birdieing three of his last five holes.
The U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
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