Whitaker And Adams Shoot 68s And Hold Early Lead At U.S. Mid-Amateur

Bandon, Ore. – Dan Whitaker, 26, of Cle Elum, Wash., and John Adams, 40, San Clemente, Calif., each shot a 4-under-par 68 Saturday at the Bandon Dunes course to lead the early wave of golfers through the first round of the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Bandon Dunes Resort.

Past champion Austin Eaton (2004) of North Sutton, N.H., posted a 2-under-par 69 and was the low scorer at the par 71, 6,957-yard Bandon Trails, the second course being used for the first two rounds of stroke play through Sunday.  Two other past champions, Tim Jackson (1994 and 2001) of Germantown, Tenn., and George Zahringer (2002) of New York, were among the early leaders as well with 1-under 71s at the par 72, 6,966-yard Bandon Dunes layout.

Overall, only nine of the first 132 golfers were under par, and only two of those scores came at Bandon Trails. The other was a 1-under-par 70 from Eric Spencer of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., who was a last-minute entry as an alternate to the field.

Whitaker, who would one day like to turn professional, finished strong, with five birdies on his final 10 holes.

“I missed one short putt and my wedge play really wasn’t that good,” said Whitaker, who had his father, Tom, as his caddie. “But, I don’t think I missed a fairway. On the first three par 5s I had eagle putts that I left short, but I’m not complaining. I don’t want a do-over, I’ll tell you that. I always like a scorecard with no 5s.”

In contrast to the young Whitaker, Adams has already taken his shot at professional golf. He played two years on the South American Tour and another on the Canadian Tour before applying for reinstatement as an amateur in 1994 and putting the clubs away. He only returned to competitive golf when he was lucky enough to qualify for the 2004 Mid-Amateur at Sea Island, Ga.

“I owe it all to my wife,” said Adams, who made five birdies in his round. “She told me to get back out there. I didn’t even play for a long time, so this is fun. I’m 40 years old. It’s just reality.”

Eaton righted his round after a rough start, where he made three bogeys in the first seven holes. He saved his round by making five putts of more than 12 feet.

“That sure helps,” said Eaton, who reached the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur in 2005. “It’s nice to have a good round under my belt because you don’t want to play catch-up tomorrow, particularly in the afternoon when you may know what the cut number is starting to look like.”

The remainder of the 132 golfers will play in the afternoon, with each golfer scheduled to play another stroke play round on Sunday before the field of 264 is trimmed to the low 64 scorers, who will advance to match play on the Bandon Dunes course.

The Mid-Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.