MILL CREEK – Defending champion Alex Stamey was not completely thrilled with his opening-round score at the 75th-annual Snohomish County Amateur golf tournament.
Elizabeth Armstrong / The Herald
Neither was he all that distraught.
“There’s a cliche out there that you can lose a tournament on the first day, but you can’t win it. And that’s definitely true,” Stamey said Sunday, shortly after finishing a round of 1-over-par 73 at Mill Creek Country Club. “I’d like it to be a little better, but it could also be a little worse. So I’m happy where I am.”
Two other past champions wish they could say the same.
Four-time winner Todd Tibke, who is trying to match Bob Whisman’s mark for the most County Am titles in history, limped to the clubhouse with an 11-over 83, essentially putting him out of contention after one day. Same for two-time champ Mike Seek, who absorbed a 12-over 84 on Mill Creek’s tricky, tree-lined fairways.
The first-round leaders are Kelly Denessen and Lance Kilbride, who carded matching 2-under 70s. They were two of just three golfers in the first division field (handicaps of 6.5 and under) of 64 who slipped under par.
Denessen, playing on his home course, ran into some early trouble with a double-bogey 5 on the par-3 second hole, the result of an exasperating four-putt. Denessen dropped his tee shot 15 feet from the pin, which was good, but left the ball above the hole, which was not.
His first putt came up short and his second try slid 8 feet past the cup on the speedy downhill putting surface. He then missed his third attempt coming back up the hill.
“Four-putting, that gets you a little hot under the collar,” Denessen admitted. “But other than that hole, I hit it good all day. I had five birdies, so I was hitting it somewhat close and then had 10- and 15-footers that were going in. So I played solid all the way around.
“It’s great to have a good first round,” he went on. “You don’t want to shoot 76 or 77 in the first round. If you can play halfway decent the first day, then you’re always in it.”
Likewise Kilbride, who represents Mukilteo’s Harbour Pointe Golf Course. He also had five birdies, including three in a row at Nos. 14, 15 and 16, to go briefly 4-under par. Alas, he gave back two strokes with a double-bogey 6 on the 18th hole.
Alone in third place after the first round was EG&CC’s Zack Shriver, who recorded a 1-under 71.
Stamey, meanwhile, had one of the day’s steadiest rounds. He had 16 pars to go with a double-bogey on No. 7 and a birdie on No. 12. It was not quite the 4-under 68 he fashioned in the first round at Mill Creek a year ago, “but being three shots back I’m still in the thick of it, so I can’t complain,” he said.
“I actually hit it good,” added Stamey, who plays out of Everett Golf and Country Club. “I hit it inside 15 feet nine times. I just didn’t make one birdie putt, but I burned a lot of edges.”
Jack Kelly, who is trying to win his third County Am title in four years, was around even par for much of the day, but slipped on the final few holes to finish at 3-over 75.
Shriver, Stamey and Kelly are among 15 golfers within five strokes of the two co-leaders heading into today’s second round.
Several members of the field gave high marks to the maintenance crew for the conditions at Mill Creek, which is one of two private golf clubs in Snohomish County.
“The course was in great shape,” Denessen said. “It was dry and easy to play summer rules. There was no dirt on the ball or balls plugged. The greens had been rolled so they were pretty quick, and if you hit a good putt it went in.”
The second and third divisions, which compete under a low-net format, played their opening rounds at EG&CC.
Leading the second division (for golfers with handicaps of 6.6 to 12.0) is Jeff Olsen of Mukilteo’s Harbour Pointe Golf Course with a net 67, one stroke better than Kayak Point’s Marty Loberg.
The third division (for golfers with handicaps of 12.1 and up) leader is Jerald Songsteng of Marysville’s Cedarcrest Golf Course. He had a net 62, five strokes better than Cedarcrest’s Carl Tingelstad.
The first division will play today’s second round at Everett’s Legion Memorial Golf Course, while the second and third divisions move to Mill Creek CC.
All rounds of the County Am are open to the public. There is no admission charge.
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