Three Tied For Lead At Indiana Open
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
A stiff breeze and tough pin placement couldn't deter three professionals from shooting a 3-under-par 68 in the opening round of the 90th Pepsi Indiana Open at Stonehenge Golf Club.
Chris Eckerle of Indianapolis, Bill Schumaker of Crooked Lake Golf Club in Columbia City and Alan Schulte of Hawthorn's Golf Course led the way with 68s.
Schulte fired a 33 on the front nine, while Schumaker and Eckerle each carded a 33 on the back nine.
It's a family affair at this year's Indiana Open as Schumaker's brother Dave and nephew Jeff are all competing in the tournament.
Dave is the professional at Stonehenge and shot an 81 on the first day, while his son Jeff, the assistant pro at Stonehenge, shot a 75 to leave him tied for 39th.
The top local competitors came in the form of Raccoon Run professional Denny Hepler and Sycamore Golf Course (North Manchester) professional Quinn Griffing. The pair shot an identical 37 on the front nine and 36 on the back nine for a score of 73 to earn a tie for 17th.
"I got off to a pretty good start," said Hepler, who began his round on the 10th hole. "I birdied 10 and 11, pared 12 but then bogeyed 13 and 14. I didn't hurt myself too bad. I stayed in the picture."
North Manchester's Patrick Brandenburg and Syracuse's Stephen Conrad each shot a 74 to end the first day tied for 23rd place.
Conrad, a 2003 Wawasee graduate, is riding the momentum of his recent win at the Indiana Amateur Open.
Warsaw's David Slater, a 2004 Warsaw graduate, also shot a 74 and continued the family theme as his brother, Grant, a junior at Warsaw, shot an 80.
Another brother tandem competed as Ben and Jake Brodhead each shot a 76. Ben qualified as an alternate and was informed he was playing just before the round began.
Triton sophomore T.J. Carpenter shot a 78 to finish 7-over and tied for 87th, while his uncle and head golf coach at Triton, Jack Carpenter, shot a 9-over 80 to end the day tied for 108th.
The par-71 Stonehenge will play at around 6,800 yards for the tournament and create an added challenge with tricky pin placement.
"I thought it was a strong setup," said Hepler of the course's pin placement. "To play Stonehenge, you have to approach you're putts uphill."
That was made difficult by a wind that gained momentum later in the day and pushed the ball all over the place.
Defending champion Lee Williamson, who plays on the Canadian Tour, shot a 70 to sit tied for fifth. Williamson is coming off a victory Sunday at the MTS Classic, which is a Canadian Tour event.
Indianapolis' Jeff Cook is a four-time champion of the Indiana Open, having won in 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1992. Cook shot a 70 as well.
Three local golfers withdrew from the tournament. Warsaw's Chris Hanson withdrew due to a hand injury suffered during the Indiana Amateur Open, while Tippecanoe Valley graduate Drew Shafer pulled out before his round started and Warsaw's Adam Johnson withdrew during his round yesterday.
After today's competition, the top 70 golfers including any ties will advance to play Wednesday and Thursday. [[In-content Ad]]
A stiff breeze and tough pin placement couldn't deter three professionals from shooting a 3-under-par 68 in the opening round of the 90th Pepsi Indiana Open at Stonehenge Golf Club.
Chris Eckerle of Indianapolis, Bill Schumaker of Crooked Lake Golf Club in Columbia City and Alan Schulte of Hawthorn's Golf Course led the way with 68s.
Schulte fired a 33 on the front nine, while Schumaker and Eckerle each carded a 33 on the back nine.
It's a family affair at this year's Indiana Open as Schumaker's brother Dave and nephew Jeff are all competing in the tournament.
Dave is the professional at Stonehenge and shot an 81 on the first day, while his son Jeff, the assistant pro at Stonehenge, shot a 75 to leave him tied for 39th.
The top local competitors came in the form of Raccoon Run professional Denny Hepler and Sycamore Golf Course (North Manchester) professional Quinn Griffing. The pair shot an identical 37 on the front nine and 36 on the back nine for a score of 73 to earn a tie for 17th.
"I got off to a pretty good start," said Hepler, who began his round on the 10th hole. "I birdied 10 and 11, pared 12 but then bogeyed 13 and 14. I didn't hurt myself too bad. I stayed in the picture."
North Manchester's Patrick Brandenburg and Syracuse's Stephen Conrad each shot a 74 to end the first day tied for 23rd place.
Conrad, a 2003 Wawasee graduate, is riding the momentum of his recent win at the Indiana Amateur Open.
Warsaw's David Slater, a 2004 Warsaw graduate, also shot a 74 and continued the family theme as his brother, Grant, a junior at Warsaw, shot an 80.
Another brother tandem competed as Ben and Jake Brodhead each shot a 76. Ben qualified as an alternate and was informed he was playing just before the round began.
Triton sophomore T.J. Carpenter shot a 78 to finish 7-over and tied for 87th, while his uncle and head golf coach at Triton, Jack Carpenter, shot a 9-over 80 to end the day tied for 108th.
The par-71 Stonehenge will play at around 6,800 yards for the tournament and create an added challenge with tricky pin placement.
"I thought it was a strong setup," said Hepler of the course's pin placement. "To play Stonehenge, you have to approach you're putts uphill."
That was made difficult by a wind that gained momentum later in the day and pushed the ball all over the place.
Defending champion Lee Williamson, who plays on the Canadian Tour, shot a 70 to sit tied for fifth. Williamson is coming off a victory Sunday at the MTS Classic, which is a Canadian Tour event.
Indianapolis' Jeff Cook is a four-time champion of the Indiana Open, having won in 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1992. Cook shot a 70 as well.
Three local golfers withdrew from the tournament. Warsaw's Chris Hanson withdrew due to a hand injury suffered during the Indiana Amateur Open, while Tippecanoe Valley graduate Drew Shafer pulled out before his round started and Warsaw's Adam Johnson withdrew during his round yesterday.
After today's competition, the top 70 golfers including any ties will advance to play Wednesday and Thursday. [[In-content Ad]]