Smiles were seen all around as Thursday kicked off round one of the 2017 Glass Blown Open. The open division competitors started their tournament at Olpe Lake, which can be a hit or miss performance depending on the weather. Let’s recap today’s action and see what day two might hold in store.
Although there was no rain, the pro ladies were met with cold temperatures and frosty conditions during their tee times. The feature card consisted of Paige Pierce, Valarie Jenkins, Jennifer Allen, and Catrina Allen, and showed a significant score separation after only a few holes. During the front nine, all but Pierce carded several bogeys and kept their scores close, while Paige ran away with it and ended up 2 down with 9 holes to go.
Today’s round saw Paige land in first place with a score of 4 down and a 5 stroke lead over Lisa Fajkus, who sits in second at 1 over. The other feature card players ended up within the top half of the competitors; in a four-way tie for 8th, Jenkins totaled +9, Catrina sits in fourth at 5 over, and Jennifer Allen is tied for fifth place with a +6.
SmashboxxTV offered live coverage for the men’s round, which thankfully saw minimal wind and was mostly dry until the later third of the day. Nate Sexton jumped ahead of the pack and ended his day in second place with -8. Both Nate and the other half of the Sexy Beast team, Paul McBeth, are the only men who saw bogey-free rounds today. Paul shot the hot round from the chase card and is now sitting in first at 10 down.
The rest of the men’s feature card shot golf that was uncharacteristic for them, struggling to get their game going. With a handful of par 4’s and the threat of water on multiple holes, Olpe Lake requires precision and laser focus. We saw several misfires on some of the men’s upshots and putts, and overall it seemed that they had a hard time getting into the groove.
Sexton’s card mates have some work to do tomorrow, with Simon Lizotte sitting in a six-way tie for 5th place and a score of -6. Ricky Wysocki is sharing the number 11 spot with five others after carding 5 down for the day, and Eagle McMahon sits within a large grouping of players who shot 3 down and are sharing 23rd.
Friday’s round will see players at Jones East, a long and difficult course that requires stamina to get through a large section of par 4 holes. It very well could be what begins to break up the bunches of players who shot similarly today and could produce some front runners out of the pack.
