Grand Blanc alum fires five-under, 67 to grab lead
FLINT -- The stifling heat of the past week was thankfully a thing of the past come Friday, with optimal conditions greeting a field of nearly 100 golfers for the opening round of the Flint City Amateur Championship.
The first third of the 54-hole tournament was played at the Kearsley Lake Golf Course, with the final two rounds taking place at the Swartz Creek Golf Course on Saturday and Sunday. Flint native Willie Mack will take a one-shot lead into the second round, carding a five-under, 67 on Friday to vault to the top of the leaderboard.
Rounding out the top five are Cameron Beckner - second at four-under - followed by Billy Teer, Matt Thompson and Nick Hartley in a three-way tie for third, each at three-under par. Teer, a recent graduate of Grand Blanc High School, had few complaints about his opening 18 holes.
"It was a very good round for me. I played really good," he said. "It usually comes down to the putter for me, and I putted really well today. So that was a key factor in today's round."
Manny Petrich, who won the Genesee County Amateur Championship two weekends ago, is five shots off the pace after an opening-round, even-par 72.
"You know, I just want to have the same mindset all three days," he said. "Just don't get carried away, have fun. That's the biggest thing for me is just having fun. I used to take golf way too seriously, but now I'm, you know, just having fun out here. And just play the course, don't worry about the other guys in your group, just play the course."
