Nearly 50 golfers within 5 strokes of City Am lead

Joe Jaspers already has his name on the winner’s trophy from the Charlotte City Amateur golf tournament a record five times.

Don’t think for a second that putting it on there a sixth time hasn’t crossed his mind.

Jaspers got off to a good start Friday, shooting a 3-under-par 68 for a share of the lead after the Charlotte City Amateur’s first round at Cedarwood Country Club.

Jaspers, from Huntersville and the defending tournament champion, was tied with 2013 champion Philip Oweida, Bennett Smith and Banks Wood in the tightest opening round in the City Am’s history.

“A lot of it was the pin placements,” said Jaspers, who also won in 2004, 2000, 1998 and 1997. “A lot of the pin placements were towards the back of the greens, and that was a little bit challenging. Even though the greens were pretty soft, you still had to be at the right place to give yourself a shot at it.”

That also made for a tight field heading into Saturday’s second round, with 50 players within five strokes of the lead. Of those, 19 players shot under par on the par-71 Cedarwood course.

Six players finished at 2-under 69, with nine others – including 2012 champ John Eades and 2011 winner Brett Boner – at 1-under 70.

Quote

“Since the new format, it’s a lot different tournament than it was before. Before, we played the same courses. But I’m used to playing at different places; I’m not accustomed to playing at the same course all the time. I’m not uncomfortable playing something I’m not used to seeing. You just learn to figure out how to play through those things.” – Jaspers.

Worth mentioning

Friday’s opening round featured 10 previous City Am champions. In addition to Jaspers, Oweida, Eades and Boner, other past winners were four-time champ Dick Stimart (2002, 1992, 1988, 1985), Brent Landry (2010), Nolan Mills (2009), Ron Kirkpatrick (2008), Chad Frye (2005) and Robby Kirby (1993). Of the 10, only Kirby failed to make the cut.

What’s next?

The top 50 advanced to the Charlotte City Amateur’s second round Saturday at Myers Park Country Club. After 36 holes, the field will be cut to the top 24 players for Sunday’s final round at the Charlotte Country Club.

This story was originally published August 14, 2015 at 9:22 PM with the headline "Nearly 50 golfers within 5 strokes of City Am lead."