Newcomb and Preston hold lead at -5 with each’s first round set to finish on Wednesday.

LOUISVILLE, KY (July 26, 2022) – The first shot in the 103^rd Kentucky Open presented by Persimmon Ridge was struck at 8:00 a.m. EDT. More than thirteen hours later, Tuesday’s play concluded just after 9:00 p.m. when play was suspended due to darkness. The fact so much golf was played on Tuesday came as a surprise to most given the weather forecast entering the day, which did lead to a three-hour delay in the morning as a result of the lingering rain that rolled through the area.

Ultimately, 109 players were able to complete their opening round of the championship. 47 players will be back at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning to finish round one, a group that includes the tournament leaders Patrick Newcomb and Jansen Preston. Both players are at -5 with Newcomb through 17 holes while Preston has completed 16 holes.

Newcomb, a top-ten finisher in each of the last two State Opens, is bogey-free thus far with the gettable par-five 18^th providing a good opportunity for him to reach -6 when play resumes in the morning. Preston teed off on hole 10 which means he has the par-four 8^th and par-four 9^th holes remaining in his path. Those two holes played considerably tougher on Tuesday than the 18^th, but like Newcomb, Preston is yet to record a bogey to this point.

Trailing them by a stroke are another couple of players whose first rounds remain in progress. Kyle Wilshire of Georgetown and Dustin Hicks of Cecilia stand at -4 and each have several more holes to complete in the morning than those they’re chasing. Wilshire will go into Wednesday on the highest of highs, as his final shot of the day was a hole-in-one on the par-three 14^th which rocketed him from -2 to -4 in the blink of an eye. Playing in the group behind Wilshire, Hicks will resume play on the 13^th hole before taking on the final five holes at Persimmon Ridge.

The low score in the clubhouse was turned in by C.J. Jones at 69 (-3). The Frankfort native recorded a double bogey on the par-four 8^th, but six birdies helped make that a non-issue while turning in the best 18-hole score of the day. He will go to sleep tonight in solo fifth place.

Eight players round out the top-ten in a tie for sixth place. Justin Warman, Matthew Troutman, Daniel Iceman III, PGA, Gabe Wheeler, Brad Faulkner, and Evan Cox all submitted scores of 70 (-2). J.M. Butler and Jeremy Martin will both be back on Wednesday morning to finish their rounds in attempt to scale the leaderboard a bit more.

Second round tee times are scheduled to begin as originally planned at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday. For those needing to finish their first rounds, it will mean they go straight into their second rounds once their opening rounds are complete. Tuesday’s morning wave of players will be in the afternoon wave on Wednesday which is slated to start at 12:45 p.m.

NOTES & STATS

• The weather delay began at 9:27 a.m. when standing water began to collect on multiple putting surfaces at Persimmon Ridge. Play resumed at 12:30 p.m.
• Three-time defending champion J.B. Williams shot a first-round score of 71 (-1) which has him lurking at T14. His quest for four wins in a row began with two early birdies and finished with two late birdies, while three bogeys were sandwiched in between.
• Eleven eagles were made on Tuesday with Wilshire’s ace highlighting the pack. Jay Kirchdorfer made the only other eagle not recorded on a par-five, with that occurring on the par-four 8^th. The 3rd hole allowed the most eagles with five while the 15^th and 18^th holes each had two apiece.
• Hole 3 did play as the easiest thanks in large part to those eagles. 43 birdies were made here as well which led to a stroke-to-par average of -0.14.
• The par-four 13^th was the hardest hole on Tuesday at +0.51. 65 players made bogey or worse.
• Both nines are playing to a similar rate with the front averaging 38.46 (+2.46) compared to 38.12 (+2.12) on the back. That made Tuesday’s scoring average 76.58 (+4.58).

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Golf House Kentucky will continue to have full coverage of the championship on its Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages. When the final group in the final round reaches the 18^th hole, a live-stream of the finish will be available to view on Facebook. If a playoff is necessary to determine the champion, that will also be live-streamed. Spectators are welcome to attend the championship each day free of charge.

About the Kentucky PGA:
The Kentucky PGA Section (KPGA) is one of forty-one Sections across the country representing the PGA of America and its Members. It is also one of three organizations encompassed within Golf House Kentucky, which also includes the Kentucky Golf Association (KGA) and Kentucky Golf Foundation (KGF). The KPGA contains more than 275 Members and more than 30 Associates working in various roles across Kentucky; all of whom share the goal of bettering the game and its players. The KPGA and its Members assist with the organization of many chief growth-of-the-game initiatives including PGA HOPE and PGA Jr. League among others. The Section also operates more than thirty tournaments throughout the golf season, including the three State Open championships and qualifiers for the Barbasol Championship.

Media Contact:
Ethan Fisher, PGA | Golf House Kentucky | efisher@kygolf.org | (502) 792-9703