Porter Cup 2019: Round One Review
6-under par took the lead, but potential for lower scores exists!Ryoto Furuya of Tampa, Florida, posted the low Wednesday round at the 2019 Porter Cup. His 6-under par 64 places him 1 shot clear of 3 golfers. 23 golfers broke par on the Niagara Falls country club course during round one, an indication of low scores throughout the week. After the rains of spring, temperatures and sun concentration have not allowed the course to bake toward fast and firm. As a result, the turf and grass are lush and springy, receptive to well-struck shots. The rough is not so thick as to be unmanageable, and recovery shots from the longish blades are able to hold greens.
Furuya opened his round with birdies at 1 and 3. He added 6 more, in 3-hole bursts. The Floridian opened the back nine with 3 consecutive birdies, and closed it that way as well. Note to readers: holes 16-18 might be regarded as the NFCC version of Calamity Corner, the late stretch of holes at Royal Portrush that proved to be the undoing of many golfers in the 2019 Open Championship last week. To birdie the set is, well, the stuff of legends. Only bogeys at 8 and 13 kept Furuya from a score in the low 60s.
Tied for 2nd are Austin Hitt (Florida), Josh Whalen (Ontario) and Peter Knade (Maryland.) Hitt opened his round birdie-birdie-eagle, reaching 4-under par by the time he arrived at the 4th tee. He birdied the 6th to reach -5, bogeyed, 7, then birdied 8 and 9 to go out in 29, a course record for the front nine. Hitt cooled off on the inward half, with 2 bogeys and 1 birdie adding up to 36, and a score of 65.
If Knade had paired with Hitt, they might have come in with 59. The Ocean State product began his inward half with an eagle 2 at the drivable par four 10th. The tees were moved up, in the 320-yard range, to give Porter Cuppers a chance to drive the green. Knade did just that, and holed his putt for a deuce. He added consecutive birdies at 13-15, to post 30 on the inward half. Whalen was a mix of the two. He began with 3 consecutive birdies, a stroke behind Hitt’s electric start. He also eagled the 10th, like Knade. On the day, Whalen had 5 birdies, 1 eagle, and 2 bogies.
Five golfers came in with scores of 3-under 67. Seven more signed for 68, including East Amherst’s Ben Reichert. Another seven competitors reached -1 on the day. The tournament continues on Thursday, with tee times running from 7:30 am to 12:20 pm. See all scores here on the Golf Genius site. For tee times, click here.
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