Ambrose Kinnare, Will Braude share first-round JAGA Amateur lead
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Low scores were there for the taking on July 19 in the first round of the Jacksonville Amateur Golf Association Championship at the Sawgrass Country Club.
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So were disasters, typical on the sand- and water-strewn course exposed to Atlantic Ocean breezes.
Those who avoided big numbers, or at least bounced back well from blow-up holes, found themselves in the best position.
Tocoi Creek junior Ambrose Kinnare and 37-year-old Timuquana Country Club member and former Episcopal and Jacksonville University player Will Braude are tied at 5-under 67. University of North Florida sophomore Luke Balaskiewicz of Jacksonville is next with a 4-under 68 and another former Episcopal Eagle, Henry Robards, and former Ponte Vedra High player Cameron Reed are tied at 3-under 69.
Robards is a junior at Mercer and Reed is a sophomore at Furman.
Styles Smith of Jacksonville is alone in sixth at 2-under 70, defending champion Danny Erickson of Ponte Vedra Beach, Colton Swartz of Fleming Island, who led Florida Southern to the NCAA Division II national championship in May, and Jack Nelson of St. Augustine are tied at 1-under 71. Ryan Houck of Fleming Island, who signed to play at UNF last week, is among seven players at even-par 72.
Kinnare played nearly mistake-free
Of the players at the top of the leaderboard, Kinnare had the least self-imposed stress. He made only one bogey, at No. 2 (his 11th hole of the day) and wielded a hot putter, starting with a 35-footer for birdie at No. 10, followed by a 12-footer at No. 12 and a 15-footer at No. 14.
Jacksonville Amateur second-round groups, tee times
Kinnare said it followed a pattern during a torrid spring and summer in which he's won a Florida Junior Tour event in Ocala, won the Azalea Junior, tied for third in the Azalea Amateur and tied for fourth in the Florida Junior Boys.
"Definitely, putting has been good ... making a few more putts that I normally do," he said. "Some of these holes [at Sawgrass] are pretty tight, so I'm hitting a lot of 3-irons and hybrids."
Will Braude battled back from a double
Braude, who works for JPMorgan, has been trying to step his game up since moving back to Jacksonville three years ago. He missed the cut last year when the JAGA Amateur was at his home course was determined to play more relaxed this year.
He birdied four of his first eight holes, with two-putt birdies at the par-5 fourth and eighth holes, then hit a speed bump when he double-bogeyed the par-5 ninth from the fairway when he pushed his second shot into the water.
Braude got that back and more when he made four birdies on the back nine, capped by a 25-foot putt at the last.
"Golf is mostly between the ears," he said. "Just not letting stuff bother me as much. I think a year ago, making double would have sent me into a tailspin. I just told myself, 'You're hitting it well. Keep doing what you're doing."
Luke Balaskiewicz got off to torrid start
Balaskiewicz, the runner-up to Erickson last year at Timuquana, got off to a blazing start with four birdies on his first five holes and a front-nine 31. The run was highlighted by a 40-foot birdie putt at No. 5, and he added a 10-footer for birdie at No. 7.
However, he hit his tee shot at No. 11 out of bounds and made double on the par-5. He had a clean card after that and birdied the 18th.
Reed and Robards also had scores marred with one bad hole. Reed had a triple-bogey 8 at No. 2 but he bounced back to play his last 14 holes at 6-under, with no bogeys. Robards was tied with Balaskiewicz at 4-under and bogeyed No. 18.
Players were regrouped by score for the second round on July 20. The cut will be made to the low 42, plus ties, for the third round on July 21.
Jacksonville Amateur first-round scores
Ambrose Kinnare 34-33—67
Will Braude 34-33—67
Luke Balaskiewicz 31-37—68
Henry Robards 34-35—69
Cameron Reed 37-32—69
Styles Smith 35-35—70
Danny Erickson 35-36—71
Jack Nelson 37-34—71
Colton Swartz 36-35—71
Lexus Keoninh 37-35—72
Maxwell Morgan 34-38—72
Ryan Houck 36-36—72
Turner Hersey 36-36—72
Cooper Franklin 34-38—72
Evan Raynor 39-33—72
Noah Ochab 37-36—73
Ian Lentz 37-35—72
Tanner Millar 39-33—72
Tyler Brown 37-36—73
Chuck Kirk 37-36—73
Landon Durham 35-38—73
Sam Geise 38-35—73
Nate Mosby 37-36—74
Lance LaCombe 38-36—74
Andrew Morgan 37-37—74
Ryan Nicholson 38-36—74
Brady Holmes 39-35—74
Zach Lee 38-36—74
Elliott Mehler 36-38—74
Jeff Golden 39-36—75
Noa Bridges 38-35—75
D.J. Waller 38-37—75
Matthew French 38-37—75
Connor Hess 38-37—75
Adam Waller 38-37—75
David Thore 39-36—75
Dylan Frein 35-40—75
Matt Glass 39-37—76
David Locht 40-36—76
Kaden James 40-36—76
Luis Rivera 39-37—76
Kip Webber 40-36—76
Matt Kleinrock 40-36—76
Michael Smith 41-36—77
Toby Ragland 39-38—77
Aubrey Fellows 37-40—77
Barton Abstein 38-39—77
Matthew Webb 42-36—78
Sam Davis 39-39—78
Adam Krestalude 30-38—78
Jamie Seim 39-39—78
Andrew Rottschalk 41-37—78
Scott Dalton 41-38—79
Lawson Garner 39-40—79
Ryder Averdick41-38—79
Ethan Grossman 40-39—79
Jim Loftin 40-40—80
Nickolas Sarianides 40-40—80
Grant Fisher 42-39—81
Len Schonfeld III 40-41—81
Keaton Fannin 43-38—81
Masen McKain 44-37—81
Alex Dienes 39-42—81
Jameson Adams 39-42—81
Dan Huffingham 43-39—82
Joe Stepnes 47-35—82
Nicklaus Meyer 43-39—82
David Phillips 45-37—82
Jaylen Abbas 41-41—82
Mark Young 39-44—83
Jason Ondriezek 44-40—84
Colson Hale 44-40—84
Chase McBride 42-43—85
Brady Steffen 39-46—85
Reese Tyrrell 44-42—86
Jack Randolph 45-41—86
Zachary Rogers 49-38—87
Eddie Erickson 47-42—87
Joseph DeRosa 43-47—90
Garrett Ho-Shing 47-44—91
Lucas Freund 43-52—95
Brandon Berry 46-50—96
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Ambrose Kinnare, Will Braude share first-round JAGA Amateur lead