Crowded Leaderboard After First Day Of Tennessee Mid-Amateur

Five golfers are deadlocked at 3-under 69 after the opening round of the 38^th Tennessee Mid-Amateur Championship being held at Tennessee National Golf Club. The congested leaderboard features 11 others who posted scores under par to sit within two shots of the lead.

Those sharing the lead include Eric Russell of Pigeon Forge, Dan Crockett of Franklin, Garrett Marschke of College Grove, Ryan Greer of Knoxville and Chattanooga’s Andrew Weathers.

Russell found himself at 1-over after a double bogey at No. 12, then reeled off three straight birdies to shoot 4-under over his final six holes to earn his 69. Meanwhile, Crockett’s round saw him compile a clean scorecard through 14 holes to stand at 6-under, only to suffer a double bogey at 15 followed by a bogey at 17.

Marschke got off to a rocky start with bogeys on his opening three holes, but played flawlessly the rest of the way with four birdies and an eagle at the par-5 11^th.

Greer and Weathers were consistent throughout their rounds as both managed to card four birdies against a lone bogey to grab a piece of the lead.

Five golfers are lurking one shot back at 2-under 70 heading into Tuesday’s round that will see the field cut to the low 30 plus ties after its conclusion. Those in a 6^th-place tie are Richard Spangler of Harrison, Scotty Hudson of Franklin, Chase Deck of Chattanooga, and last week’s Tennessee Four-Ball champions Chas Narramore and Jack Smith of Knoxville.

Former champion Ryan Terry of Brentwood, who won in 2018, is among six golfers knotted at 1-under 71, while 2022 title holder Brendon Wilson of Ringgold, Ga. shot even par 72.

Defending champion Winston Margaritis of Germantown struggled in his opening round, finishing at 4-over 76.

For complete results, go to Tennessee Mid-Amateur.

Botts Leads Tennessee PGA Professional Championship

Ryan Botts was the lone golfer under par after the opening round of the 57^th Tennessee PGA Professional Championship, shooting 1-under 70 to lead a trio of others by one shot. The Five Oaks Golf & Country Club professional tallied five birdies and four bogeys at The Links at Kahite Golf Club on Monday.

Dan Parker of Troubadour Golf and Field Club, Brian Wood of Memphis National Golf Club and Jared Nelson of Bear Trace at Tims Ford all shot even par 71 to forge a tie for second.

Defending champion Josh Bevell of Nashville’s Profectus Golf is among a quartet tied for 5^th after shooting 1-over 72, joined by Henrik Simonsen of The Honors Course, Christopher Woods of Johnson City Country Club and 2016 champion Oliver Peacock of Belle Meade Country Club.

Chattanooga’s Paul Apyan of Choo Choo Golf Academy, Jake Reeves of Fox Den Country Club and Jake Bennett of Oak Ridge Country Club are three shots back after opening with rounds of 2-over 73.

For complete results, go to Tennessee PGA Professional Championship.

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com