The three leaders fell one shot short of tying the course record. Jason Gerken, a Logan High School graduate who played at Princeton, shot a 64 on Aug. 29, 2020.
Koivun, a sophomore at Auburn, is No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. He had seven birdies, including four in a row on Nos. 4-7.
“It’s the longest tournament we play, so it’s important to manage your mentals, but you have to be happy coming out of the gates hot,” said Koivun in a press release. “I know my game is in a good spot, so just keeping my head in it is the key.”
Van Paris, a senior at Vanderbilt, is No. 7 in the rankings. He also had seven birdies, plus an eagle on par-5 No. 5.
“I ended up hitting driver on top of the hill on No. 4, which actually wasn’t the gameplan,” Van Paris said in a press release. “But I hit 7-wood to about eight feet and made the eagle putt, and that’s when I had the idea that it was going to be a really cool nine.”
Zhou, a freshman at the University of California, ranks 96th. He had eight birdies and two bogeys.
Six golfers tied for second with scores of 66, including University of Virginia junior Benjamin James, the No. 5 golfer in the rankings.
Carroll High School graduate and former Wright State and Illinois golfer Tyler Goecke tied for 25th with a 2-under 69.
Recent Wright State graduate Mikkel Mathiesen is tied for 74th after with a 1-over 72.
Lakota East graduate Joe Wilson IV and Wright State junior Adam Horn tied for 94th with a 2-over 73.
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
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