LOUISVILLE, KY (July 27, 2021) – Round one of the 102^nd Kentucky Open featured scoring conditions that were ideal for the 156 players competing at Persimmon Ridge Golf Club. So ideal, in fact, that the course record was tied today with the standard of 65 (-7) reached by co-leaders Clay Amlung and Brendon Doyle.

Amlung, who has logged many rounds at Persimmon Ridge having grown up nearby, used his course knowledge to his benefit today by making six birdies and an eagle on the par-five 18^th. That capped off an inward nine of 32 (-4), giving Amlung the early lead which he held for most of the day.

Doyle then matched him at that number in the evening. Playing in the third-to-last group, Doyle was bogey-free and bettered Amlung’s back-nine score by shooting 31 (-5) on that same set of holes. Like Amlung, Doyle also made eagle on the par-five 18^th.

A trio of players stand in a tie for third place two strokes behind them. Dustin Denzik, Campbell Kremer and C.J. Jones each shot 67 (-5) to round out the top-five after the opening round.

Three notable players sit at 68 (-4), those being J.B. Williams, Patrick Newcomb and Cooper Collins. Williams is looking to make history as the first player in championship history to win the Kentucky Open three consecutive years. Newcomb came to Louisville fresh off a victory on Sunday in the PGA TOUR Latino America’s Bupa Championship presented by Volvo. Collins was the runner-up in last month’s Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Kentucky Amateur and has once again put himself within striking distance of one of the state’s premier tournaments.

Seven players are in a tie for ninth place to cap off the top-ten, as Kyle Wilshire, Matthew Harris, Zach Norris, Jacob Cook, Grover Justice, Kent Bulle, and Justin Warman are at 69 (-3). They help make up the group of thirty-two players who notched under-par rounds on Tuesday, while another fifteen players are at even-par.

Given the firmness of Persimmon Ridge’s fairways, the softness of the greens and the lack of wind present on Tuesday, it truly was a day ripe for scoring. With a similar weather forecast in store for both Wednesday and Thursday, this year’s winning score could threaten the championship’s 54-hole record of 197, which Amlung and Doyle are on pace to beat after one round.

NOTES & STATS

• Seventeen eagles were notched across the golf course in round one. The par-five 15^th surrendered the most with eight while each of the other par-fives surrendered at least one. The only eagle on a par-four came on the 8^th, which was made by Andrew Strother.
• A cut will be made following the second round to the top 70 players and ties. As it stands from round one, seventy-one players are currently at +3.
• The easiest hole of the round was the par-five 3^rd, playing at a stroke-to-par average of -0.20. Sixty-two players made at least birdie on this hole.
• The following hole, the par-three 4^th, was the hardest. It was the only hole to not surrender at least ten birdies on the golf course while sixty-nine players made bogey or worse. It averaged +0.54.
• The front nine and back nine offered little in terms of disparity. The front nine was slightly harder with an average of 38.06 while the back averaged 37.94. That added up to a course average of 76.00.

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Golf House Kentucky will continue to have full coverage of this year’s championship on its Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages. When the final group reaches the 18th hole of Thursday's final round, a live-stream will be shown on Facebook. Should a playoff be necessary, that will also be live-streamed. Spectators are welcome to attend the championship each day free of charge.