BOWLING GREEN, KY (August 23, 2021) – The 2018 winner of the Kentucky PGA Professional Championship and the 2020 ROLEX Larry Gilbert Player of the Year showcased his immense talent in the opening round of this year’s Section Championship. Andrew Stephens put himself in position to earn another accolade to his name after opening with 67 (-5) at Bowling Green Country Club. That puts him four shots ahead of fellow past champions of this tournament, Grover Justice and Blake Watts.

Stephens had a hot start to his round with four birdies in his first six holes to begin the day. Another birdie on the 9^th added up to a front nine 32 (-4) which transitioned into a steady and crafty 35 (-1) on the inward nine. Stephens made eight consecutive pars on the back before ending that streak with a closing birdie on the 18^th. Thanks to that impressive body of work, he is now in a great spot to become the twentieth player to win this championship multiple times.

Justice and Watts were the only others to fire an under-par score on Monday as they posted 71 (-1). Each of them made three birdies and two bogeys with pars the rest of the way to share second position. Another former champion of this tournament, Keith Ohr, is in fourth place having shot 72 (E). Four players who would become first-time winners of the Section Championship are tied for fifth, as Daniel Iceman III, John Mullendore, Tom Walters, and Mitchell Moore all shot 73 (+1).

NOTES & STATS

• Four automatic exemptions and three alternate positions in the 2022 PGA Professional Championship are at stake this week. Stephens, Justice, Watts, and Ohr currently hold the guaranteed berths while eleven players currently sit on the number or one shot back of the current pace for an alternate spot.
• The par-four 10^th was the hardest hole to open the competition. It played to a stroke-to-par average of +0.52 with nineteen players making bogey or worse here.
• The par-five 14^th was Monday’s easiest hole, with an exactly even-par average score of 5.00.
• Little separated the difficulty of the front and back nines in the first round. The front nine played slightly harder with an average score of 38.56 compared to the back nine’s 38.29.
• Added together, the average score on Monday was 76.85.

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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 from Tuesday’s final round reaches the 18^th hole, a live-stream will be available to view on Facebook. Any playoff holes to determine the champion will also be live-streamed. General admittance to the public is permitted and free of charge.