J.J. Killeen leading the Utah Championship on Nationwide Tour
J.J Killeen fired a massive opening round of nine-under, 62 at the Utah Championship presented by the Utah Sports Commission to grab the first round lead of the $550,000 Nationwide Tour event.
Played at the scenic Willow Creek Country Club at Sandy, Utah, Killeen churned out a whopping 10 birdies and dropped just one shot at par-four, 9th to push him into contention for the summit.
“The course is in great condition,” Killeen said. “I'm happy to get off to that start, for sure. It was a good finish.”
Killeen has played brilliantly so far in the season, making 12 cuts out of the 13 appearances on the tour. His best finishes came at the Melwood Prince George's County Open and The Rex Hospital Open where he posted a joint 5th. He will definitely
be hoping to extend his impressive putting through the weekend to possibly bring an end to his win-less spree.
“I've had a couple of chances to do really well and haven't. But I have been consistent. I've just been waiting for a week for it to come all together,” he said. “I have been making a lot of cuts out here, and just making the cut means you have a chance
on the weekend.”
Two players are tied for the second slot further down the leaderboard including Scott Gardiner and Joel Edwards with their respective scores of seven-under, 64. Gardiner, the only non-American player in the top ranks for the moment, pulled in an impressive
display of quality golf, carding no less than six birdies and an eagle at par-five, 3rd to settle for a joint second. He dropped just one shot before making the turn for his back nine.
Edwards had a stunning day at the Willow Creek Country Club where he carded seven birdies in his bogey-free round to stay in contention for the summit. The 49-year-old veteran, who will be turning 50 in November, will probably be switching over to Champions
Tour sooner than later.
“I played really, really well. I don't know if it could have been better. It was just a really solid day,” said Edwards.
This was his best performance after a long time on the tour.
Tags: