Davis up early at 88th Snohomish County Amateur
Published 1:30 am Saturday, May 26, 2018
TULALIP — Halen Davis was the beneficiary of a little home-course advantage Saturday.
Davis put his intimate knowledge of Battle Creek Golf Course to full use, shooting a 4-under par 69 to take the first-round lead at the 88th annual Snohomish County Amateur golf tournament.
Davis, a 22-year-old Lake Stevens resident who just finished his senior season with the University of Fraser Valley men’s golf team, is playing the County Am for the first time. However, the former Stanwood High School standout is a past club champion at Battle Creek, something that served him well Saturday.
“I actually worked here a couple years ago, so I’m familiar with the course,” said Davis, who plays out of Walter Hall Golf Course, but has equal knowledge of Battle Creek. “I haven’t played it in a while, but it’s still the same course. I know what clubs I’m hitting off the tees, and I played with a guy today who was asking what to hit. It’s going to be hard to figure out a golf course if you’ve never played it before.”
Davis held a two-stroke lead over Jacob Rohde and Jordan Brajcich after one round. The second of the tournament’s three rounds is Sunday at Harbour Pointe Golf Club in Mukilteo.
Davis was rock solid throughout his round, racking up five birdies and not bogeying a hole until 18, when he put his drive into the trees.
”I was happy with how I played,” Davis said. “I’ve always struggled on holes 10 and 12. On 12, the rock hole (there’s a large boulder that obscures the view of the green on the par 3), I hit a shot that was probably 40 or 50 feet away, but on the green. I got a two-putt, walked away and I felt comfortable the rest of the round, felt like I could go low.”
Davis currently works at Walter Hall, where Monday’s final round takes place, so he’s hoping home-course advantage works for him again later in the tournament.
Right on Davis’ tail is Rohde, who is trying to shed the runner-up label. Rohde, a 40-year-old from Everett who also plays out of Walter Hall, finished second at each of the past two County Ams and is the top returning player from last year. He had an up-and-down round Saturday, recording four birdies and an eagle — he holed out from the fairway on the par-4 11th — against four bogeys.
”I didn’t hit it very good,” Rohde said. “I got lucky, the best I could say it is that I missed it the right way. Every time I made a birdie I followed up with a bogey. Holing one out of the fairway on 11 was a nice surprise. Hopefully I hit it better tomorrow.”
Rohde is tied for second with Brajcich. Brajcich, a former star at Jackson High School who now plays at Pacific Lutheran University, had four birdies and two bogeys as he also finished with a 2-under 71. Those two and Davis were the only players to break par Saturday.
It was a rough and controversial day for one of the tournament’s favorites. Chris Hatch, the former Kamiak High School and Western Washington University standout, finished tied for fourth last year and came into this year’s tournament with the low handicap. However, on No. 10 Hatch had a ball land in what he and Rohde claimed was unmarked ground under repair. Hatch thought he should get relief, but the ruling went against him, resulting in a double bogey. He wound up with a 5-over 78, which puts him nine shots off the lead.
————
2018 Snohomish County Amateur
Saturday’s first round
at Battle Creek GC
Flight 1 (+4.0 to 4.9)
Gross Scores, Par 73 (6,536 yards)
Halen Davis, WH 69
Jacob Rohde, WH 71
Jordan Brajcich, SR 71
Joel Micka, LM 73
David Hansen, Jor 75
Patrick Boag, EGCC 77
Kris Jackson, HP 77
Ty Cannon, Ken 77
Chris Hatch, HP 78
Jeff Strickland, EGCC 78
Mark Stephenson, PGD 78
Chase Gardner, MC 80
Mark Johnson, Jor 80
Chase Anderson, KP 80
Mark Strickland, HP 81
Cody Oakes, Glen 81
Tyler Spalti, EGCC 81
Mike Seek, EGCC 81
Richard Slikker, HP 81
Drew Preston, Ced 82
Scott Rohlinger, LM 83
Duane Diede, EGCC 84
Justin Duplantis, PGD 84
Travis Loukusa, HP 84
Brayden Webb, BC 86
Dennis Diede, EGCC 86
Chris Giesker, WH 86
Cameron Klundt, BC 86
Dan Frost, PGD 90
Branden Hayward, Sno 91
Cody Sigvartson, WH 91
Scott Hinrichs, WH 101
Flight 2 (5.0 to 9.9)
Net Scores, Par 73 (6,153 yards)
Nick Rockey, EF 68
Kevin Coghill, Glen 69
Nick Dammann, EGCC 70
Brian Hansen, LM 71
Doug Barlow, EF 73
Brett Engstrom, WH 73
Derik Millich, BC 74
Martin Seguin, WH 74
Cole Weiderstrom, BC 75
Steve Laue, WH 75
Brendan Doheny, WH 76
Cameron Metcalfe, HP 76
Lance Gatter, BC 78
Mike Grady, MC 78
Andrew Austin, MC 80
Cory Christianson, EF 81
Sung Kim, LM 83
Ben Headland, LM 84
Flight 3 (10.0 to 18.0)
Net Scores, Par 73 (6,153 yards)
Steve Walsh, BC 67
Van Luu, WH 71
Bob Wallin, BC 72
Matt Harper, PGD 73
Paul Lill, LM 74
Darrell Stubblefield, Sno 76
David Betz, SR 77
Richard Haataja, SR 78
Tom Desmarais, LM 78
Stephen Reed, Jor 80
Greg Quinn, Lynn 83
Greg Guest, WH 84
Nawoo Choi, WH 88
Reese Jorgensen, MC 89
Will Gamroth, BC 92
Key: BC—Battle Creek; Ced—Cedarcrest; EF—Echo Falls; EGCC—Everett Golf & Country Club; Glen—Gleneagle; HP—Harbour Pointe; KP—Kayak Point; Jor—Jorgensen’s; Ken—Kenwanda; LM—Legion Memorial; Lynn—Lynnwood; MC—Mill Creek Country Club; PGD—Pro Golf Discount; Sno—Snohomish; SR—SuperRange; WH—Walter Hall.
