Sugrue starts well at Sawgrass
Mallow’s James Sugrue is well placed after the first round of the Junior Players Championship. Picture: Pat Cashman/www.cashmanphotography.ieMallow’s James Sugrue is just two shots off the lead entering today’s second round of the Junior Players Championship at Sawgrass.
Starting on the back nine at the Stadium Course, the Cork star birdied the 11th and 12th and followed a bogey at the 18th and a double bogey six at the fifth with a birdie at the seventh to card a one over 73 that left him tied for sixth place, two shots behind Americans Austen Truslow and Jonathan Hardee.
Click here for first Round results from the The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at TPC Sawgrass.
Boys Par: 36-36—72. Yardage: 7215. Rating: 76.8. Slope: 155
Hermitage’s Rowan Lester is tied for 42nd after a six over 78 ahead of today’s second round on Pete Dye’s Valley Course.
“It’s just one round of golf,” Truslow said. “We have 36 holes left, I’m just going to go out and have a good time with my playing competitors.”
Truslow, who is verbally committed to at the University of Virginia, picked up his first AJGA victory earlier this year at the Golf Pride / David Leadbetter Junior Classic where he posted back-to-back 67s in the second and final round.
Hardee carded six birdies on the day en route to his first-round 71. He closed both nines will birdies and is in position heading into the second round.
“I wasn’t hitting the ball great,” Hardee said. “Then I birdied Nos. 6, 8 and 9 and that really changed the pace for the round.”
The University of Alabama verbal commit, closed by playing the final three holes at 2-under-par, including a birdie on No. 18, the hardest hole on the course. Hardee looks to build on his strong first round.
“I’m not going to change much, “Hardee said. “I have no expectations, I will just go out there and try hitting the fairway, its pretty essential here, I’m going to make it my goal for tomorrow.”
Hardee captured the Brian Harman Junior Championship and finished T10 in his last Invitational at the Rolex Tournament of Champions.