BARRINGTON, Ill. – The opening round of the 48th Illinois State Junior Amateur Championship concluded Tuesday at Makray Memorial Golf Club. Currently leading the event is Tommy Kuhl (2018) of Morton, Ill.
The Illinois State Junior Amateur (ISJA) is a 54-hole, stroke play event with a cut to the low 50 and ties after 36 holes. The field, which is made up of 156 male junior golfers from Illinois ages 12-18, played the par 71 course from 6,902 yards.
The Illinois Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing playing opportunities for its members ages 8-18, conducting educational clinics and events, and serving as a junior golf informational clearinghouse.
Kuhl, who carded an opening round of 3-under-par 68, leads the event heading into the second round. His round included six birdies, three coming right in a row on holes 5, 6 and 7. This is Kuhl’s fourth ISJA appearance; his best finish to date was at the 2016 event where he placed T5. When asked about his round he had this to say:
“I played pretty consistent,” said Kuhl. “I hit a lot of fairways and greens, and I think that is the key to play good out here. The greens are quick so it’s important to just put yourself in a good spot. I plan on taking the same approach tomorrow – hit to the middle of the greens and hopefully make more putts.”
There are currently three players two-shots back from Kuhl, each carding a 1-under-par 70 during the opening round, they are: Brendan O’Reilly (2017) of Hinsdale, Ill., Ethan Farnam (2017) of Crystal Lake, Ill., and Timothy Lim (2017) of Hoffman Estates, Ill. In fifth is Jack Crawshaw (2019) of Winnetka, Ill., who carded an even-par 71.
Currently tied for sixth, each finishing with rounds of 1-over-par 72, were Ben Tyrrell (2018) of Edwardsville, Ill., and Mac McClear (2019) of Hinsdale, Ill. Rounding out the top 10, with a score of 2-over-par 73, were: Max Farley (2020) of Orland Park, Ill., Jackson Bussell (2019) of Lincolnshire, Ill., Peter Radler (2019) of Winnetka, Ill., and Lawrence Ting (2018) of Westmont, Ill.
The second round of the 48th ISJA is set to begin Wednesday, at 7:30 a.m. off of Nos. 1 and 10 at Makray Memorial GC.
