Kelly Chinn has a chance to join some elite company, including one of the greatest to ever play the game. Chinn, 18, of Great Falls, Va., who is headed to Duke University next month, carded a bogey-free, 8-under-par 64 on The Country Club of North Carolina’s Dogwood Course in Monday’s first round of stroke play of the 73rd U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.
Chinn, the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur medalist, can join three-time champion Tiger Woods (1991-93), 1977 winner Willie Wood and 2010 champ Jim Liu as a multiple medalist. He’d love to join them as a champion as well. In his two previous starts, he was eliminated in the Round of 32 (2018) at Baltusrol Golf Club and in the semifinals (2019) at Inverness Club. The championship was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19.
His 64 on the 7,140-yard layout surpassed the competitive course record by Karl Vilips (a 65 in the 2017 Southern Amateur) and tied for the third-lowest round in U.S. Junior Amateur history behind Gavin Hall’s 62 in 2010 and the 63 posted by Brandon Mancheno in 2017.
“Honestly today was about going out and playing some golf,” said Chinn, who was a U.S. Amateur Four-Ball medalist with partner David Ford in May at Chambers Bay, where they lost in the quarterfinals. “I am not really focused on being medalist or anything. I have learned that in match play it doesn’t matter what seed you are. You just have to get into match play. The higher you go the lower seed you play and the more comfortable you will be and there’s less pressure.”
On Tuesday, Chinn will play the 7,164-yard, par-71 Cardinal Course, where Ford posted the best score in Round 1, a 4-under 67. After an early bogey on No. 12, his second hole of the day (players started on Nos. 1 and 11 on Cardinal), Ford, a lefty headed to the University of North Carolina, played 5-under golf over the last 16 holes.
Both the Dogwood and Cardinal courses at CCNC are being used in stroke play with the U.S. Junior Amateur field expanding for the first time from 156 to 264 competitors. The Dogwood will be used for all match-play rounds.
While the players didn’t have to deal with sweltering temperatures, both the morning and afternoon waves dealt with weather suspensions totaling 100 minutes due to heavy rain.
Accustomed to playing in all types of conditions, Chinn played a virtually stress-free round, buoyed by a new 5-wood in his bag. A 5-foot par putt on No. 10 was the closest Chinn came to making a bogey. He hit 5-wood second shots into the par-5 12th and 18th holes, converting a 40-footer for eagle on the former and a two-putt birdie on the latter.
“I feel comfortable in this situation,” said Chinn when asked about his USGA experience. “It’s been huge.”
A pair of 16-year-olds – Nathan Sampson, of Temecula, Calif., a finalist in the 2016 Drive, Chip & Putt at Augusta National, and Rylan Shim, of Centreville, Va. – registered bogey-free 67s on Dogwood. Shim, coming off a tie for 14th in last week’s PGA Junior Championship in Lexington, Ky., played his final nine holes (Dogwood’s outward nine) in 4-under 32, including three consecutive birdies to finish. He rolled in putts of 30 feet (No. 7), 50 feet (No. 8) and 20 feet (No. 9)
Nicholas Dunlap, 17, of Huntsville, Ala., a former national Punt, Pass & Kick finalist, had a bogey-free 68 on Dogwood that included an eagle 3 on the 18th hole.
What’s Next
Players will switch courses for the second round of stroke play on Tuesday, with the low 64 scorers qualifying for match play, which begins on Wednesday on Dogwood. Should a playoff be necessary to determine the final match-play spots, it would take place on Wednesday morning on Cardinal.
Notable
Jackson Van Paris, the local favorite and Country Club of North Carolina member, opened with an even-par 72 on the Dogwood Course. Van Paris was the runner-up two weeks ago in the North & South Amateur at nearby Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2.
Davis Wotnosky, 12, of Wake Forest, N.C., who is the second-youngest competitor in U.S. Junior Amateur history, carded a 74 on the Dogwood Course. His sister, Haeley, a University of Virginia golfer, is on his bag.
Three sons of major professional tour winners are in the field: John Daly II (John Daly); Daniel Choi (K.J. Choi) and Kevin Watts (Brian Watts). Choi shot 71 on Cardinal, Watts a 79 on Cardinal and Daly II a 73 on Dogwood. Brian Watts never won on the PGA Tour, but claimed 12 Japan Golf Tour victories. Daly is a two-time major champion and Choi owns eight PGA Tour wins, including the 2011 Players Championship.
Conor Gough, of England, the only competitor who has played in a Walker Cup (2019 for Great Britain & Ireland), opened with a 2-under 70 on Dogwood.
Kiko Francisco Coelho, of Portugal, the only USGA champion in the field, had a disappointing 81 on Dogwood. Coelho, who is headed to Arizona State in the fall, teamed with Eduardo Herrera to win the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Chambers Bay in May to garner exemptions into the U.S. Junior and U.S. Amateur.
Justin Ross, of Boca Raton, Fla., withdrew after Round 1 with a back injury.
The Cardinal Course (76.3) played slightly more difficult in Round 1 than Dogwood (75.9).
Quotable
“The layout is awesome. It’s in great shape this week. It’s a challenge, but it is also really fair. You’ve got to hit some good shots to make birdies. It’s a really good test.” – Kelly Chinn on the Dogwood Course
“I didn’t hit the ball too well on the front nine for the most part. I missed most of the greens and fairways but scrambled around pretty well. I made a lot of putts and saw the reads on the greens pretty well.” – Nathan Sampson on his bogey-free 67 on Dogwood
“I am coming off a great ball-striking week at the Junior PGA [in Kentucky] and it gave me a lot of confidence. I told everyone around me if I continue to hit the ball the way I am and I have a good game plan for these two stroke-play rounds it’s going to be a great week.” – Rylan Shim after his 67 on Dogwood
“It was really cool being the first guy off to start the tournament. Definitely both nerves and adrenaline. I always get nervous on the first tee a little bit. I’ve gotten pretty good at embracing it and kind of enjoying the moment.” – CCNC member Jackson Van Paris on his emotions
“I wanted to play in this event, especially here, for a long time. It is really awesome to have it be my first one. It’s been fun. I know this golf course and I have played it a few times. And to have all the people I know here is great.” – Davis Wotnosky, 12, of Wake Forest, N.C., on his first-ever round in a USGA event
VILLAGE OF PINEHURST, N.C. - Results from Monday's first round of stroke play at the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, played at 7,140-yard, par-72 The Country Club of North Carolina’s Dogwood Course and 7,164-yard, par-71 The Country Club of North Carolina’s Cardinal Course.
DC – CCNC (Dogwood Course), CC – CCNC (Cardinal Course)
Kelly Chinn, Great Falls, Va. 32-32--64 DC
David Ford, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 32-35--67 CC
Nathan Sampson, Temecula, Calif. 32-35--67 DC
Rylan Shim, Centreville, Va. 32-35--67 DC
Nicholas Dunlap, Huntsville, Ala. 34-34--68 DC
Alexander Yang, Carlsbad, Calif. 35-34--69 CC
Benjamin James, Milford, Conn. 36-33--69 DC
Benjamin Reuter, Netherlands 34-35--69 CC
Jackson Roman, Kensington, Conn. 36-33--69 DC
Robbie Higgins, Sarasota, Fla. 36-33--69 DC
Caleb Surratt, Indian Trail, N.C. 34-36--70 DC
Conor Gough, England 36-34--70 DC
Jonathan Griz, Hilton Head Island, S.C. 35-35--70 DC
Joshua Stewart, Winter Springs, Fla. 35-35--70 DC
Owen Kose, Holly Springs, N.C. 37-33--70 DC
Sam Davis, Jacksonville, Fla. 33-37--70 CC
Wheaton Ennis, Eagle, Idaho 34-36--70 CC
Andrew Goodman, Norman, Okla. 34-37--71 CC
Anton Ouyang, San Jose, Calif. 35-36--71 CC
Brendan Valdes, Orlando, Fla. 36-35--71 CC
Bryan Lee, Fairfax, Va. 36-35--71 CC
Daniel Choi, Keller, Texas 35-36--71 CC
Gordon Sargent, Birmingham, Ala. 35-36--71 CC
Marshall Meisel, Chevy Chase, Md. 34-37--71 DC
PJ Maybank, Cheboygan, Mich. 36-35--71 DC
Rylan Johnson, Gilbert, Ariz. 33-38--71 CC
Sihan Sandhu, Pinehurst, N.C. 35-36--71 CC
Spencer Turtz, Charlotte, N.C. 34-37--71 DC
Tomek Pickrell, Cypress, Texas 35-36--71 DC
Will Morlan, Alpharetta, Ga. 36-35--71 DC
Cohen Trolio, West Point, Miss. 35-37--72 CC
Colin Spencer, Mashpee, Mass. 37-35--72 DC
Connor Macmillan, Canton, Ga. 36-36--72 DC
Connor Williams, Escondido, Calif. 38-34--72 DC
Dean Greyserman, Boca Raton, Fla. 38-34--72 DC
Drew Miller, East Lansing, Mich. 35-37--72 CC
Jackson Van Paris, Pinehurst, N.C. 36-36--72 DC
Jake Griffin, Kensington, Md. 36-36--72 DC
Jonas Appel, Encinitas, Calif. 33-39--72 CC
Lucas Acevedo, Charleston, S.C. 38-34--72 DC
Luke Clanton, Miami Lakes, Fla. 36-36--72 CC
Luke Potter, Encinitas, Calif. 35-37--72 CC
Mahanth Chirravuri, Chandler, Ariz. 35-37--72 DC
Matthew Comegys, Van Alstyne, Texas 38-34--72 CC
Maxwell Ford, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 35-37--72 CC
Nathan Wang, Fremont, Calif. 35-37--72 DC
Sam Brown, Bulgaria 34-38--72 CC
Sean Citherlet, Mexico 37-35--72 DC
Virgilio Paz, Venezuela 37-35--72 CC
Aidan Gutierrez, Valparaiso, Ind. 38-35--73 CC
Andrew Clark, Winter Park, Fla. 35-38--73 DC
Andrew McLauchlan, Neptune Beach, Fla. 36-37--73 DC
Carter Loflin, Duluth, Ga. 36-37--73 DC
Dylan McDermott, Granite Bay, Calif. 37-36--73 DC
Ethan Gao, Alpharetta, Ga. 36-37--73 CC
Grant Gobezie, Orlando, Fla. 37-36--73 CC
Hampton Roberts, Cary, N.C. 33-40--73 CC
Hunter Thomson, Canada 36-37--73 DC
Jack Taylor, Nashville, Tenn. 36-37--73 CC
James Key, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. 37-36--73 DC
Jay Brooks, Boca Raton, Fla. 34-39--73 CC
Jayce Hargrove, Lubbock, Texas 35-38--73 CC
John Daly II, Dardanelle, Ark. 38-35--73 DC
Omar Morales, Mexico 36-37--73 DC
Sebastian Moss, Houston, Texas 37-36--73 DC
Arjun Gupta, United Arab Emirates 37-37--74 CC
Barnes Blake, Westfield, N.J. 38-36--74 DC
Brady Siravo, Sacramento, Calif. 35-39--74 CC
Calen Sanderson, Newtown, Pa. 34-40--74 CC
Carson Brewer, Jacksonville, Fla. 37-37--74 DC
Cole Ekert, Chatham, N.J. 36-38--74 CC
Curtis Da Silva, Monterey, Calif. 35-39--74 CC
Davis Mcdowell, San Rafael, Calif. 36-38--74 CC
Davis Wotnosky, Wake Forest, N.C. 37-37--74 DC
Evan Chien, Irvine, Calif. 37-37--74 DC
Holland Giles, Pinehurst, N.C. 36-38--74 CC
Ian Jin, South Pasadena, Calif. 37-37--74 DC
Jackson Koivun, San Jose, Calif. 38-36--74 CC
Jay Nimmo, Benton, Ky. 37-37--74 CC
Joe Wilson IV, West Chester, Ohio 37-37--74 DC
John Broderick, Wellesley, Mass. 38-36--74 DC
Joseph Lenane, Dedham, Mass. 37-37--74 DC
Kyle An, Aliso Viejo, Calif. 37-37--74 CC
Lee Smith, Waycross, Ga. 36-38--74 CC
Marshall Kim Jr., Honolulu, Hawaii 35-39--74 CC
Martin Couvra, France 36-38--74 CC
Matthew Wilkinson, Centennial, Colo. 35-39--74 CC
Matvey Golovanov, Russian Federation 37-37--74 CC
Maxence Giboudot, France 35-39--74 CC
Nicholas Tanovich, Canada 39-35--74 CC
Oakley Gee, Carmi, Ill. 37-37--74 CC
Parker Mapes, Pleasanton, Calif. 35-39--74 DC
Thomas Finn, Locust Valley, N.Y. 40-34--74 DC
Topher Reed, Fairview Park, Ohio 37-37--74 CC
Trace Bracknell, Tuscaloosa, Ala. 38-36--74 DC
Ward Harris, Vestavia Hills, Ala. 34-40--74 CC
Wesley Erling, Colorado Springs, Colo. 36-38--74 DC
William Sides, Tulsa, Okla. 38-36--74 DC
Aaron Pounds, The Woodlands, Texas 37-38--75 DC
Alejandro Fierro, Mexico 38-37--75 CC
Andre Zhu, Canada 36-39--75 DC
Andrew White, Westfield, Ind. 38-37--75 DC
Ben Sluzas, Lockport, Ill. 38-37--75 CC
Braeden Sladek, Alexandria, Minn. 37-38--75 DC
Clemente Silva, Chile 38-37--75 CC
Edward Coffren, Owings, Md. 34-41--75 DC
Evan Barbin, Elkton, Md. 36-39--75 DC
Gavin Aurilia, Phoenix, Ariz. 36-39--75 DC
Hayden Adams, Lexington, Ky. 39-36--75 DC
Hayden Carner, Hoover, Ala. 35-40--75 CC
Jackson Herrington, Dickson, Tenn. 40-35--75 CC
Jackson Hymer, San Antonio, Texas 37-38--75 DC
Jason Gordon, North Brook, Ill. 35-40--75 CC
Jesse Saareks, Finland 35-40--75 CC
John Peters, Carlisle, Pa. 40-35--75 DC
Luke Gutschewski, Elkhorn, Neb. 40-35--75 DC
Luke Sample, New York, N.Y. 37-38--75 CC
Lyman Brackett, Goshen, Ky. 38-37--75 DC
Maddox Vincent, Draper, Utah 37-38--75 DC
Maddox Whittington, Lenoir, N.C. 35-40--75 DC
Myles Jones, Suwanee, Ga. 35-40--75 DC
Nicklaus Mason, Kansas City, Kan. 35-40--75 CC
Owen Gauder, Canada 36-39--75 CC
Reed Sweigart, Roswell, Ga. 39-36--75 DC
Rylan Wotherspoon, Cincinnati, Ohio 38-37--75 CC
William Webb, Raleigh, N.C. 37-38--75 CC
Adam Brady, Australia 39-37--76 DC
Baron Szeto, Moraga, Calif. 37-39--76 DC
David Llewellyn, Mesquite, Nev. 36-40--76 DC
Eli Schmidly, Charlotte, N.C. 39-37--76 CC
Ethan Whitney, Westminster, Mass. 35-41--76 DC
Gene Zeigler, Florence, S.C. 40-36--76 CC
George Roessler, New York, N.Y. 33-43--76 DC
Grant Roscich, Glen Ellyn, Ill. 38-38--76 DC
Hogan Ingram, Rome, Ga. 39-37--76 DC
Ian Maspat, San Diego, Calif. 38-38--76 CC
Jeffrey Nelson, New Castle, Colo. 38-38--76 CC
Kaelen Dulany, Keller, Texas 39-37--76 CC
Kihei Akina, Kahuku, Hawaii 40-36--76 DC
Lucas Scheufler, Andover, Kan. 34-42--76 CC
Matthew Foster, Dallas, Texas 39-37--76 CC
Maxwell Tjoa, Cedar Falls, Iowa 38-38--76 DC
Michael Senn III, Bentonville, Ark. 35-41--76 DC
Nolan Skaggs, Plymouth, Mass. 40-36--76 CC
Parker Paxton, Riverton, Wyo. 38-38--76 DC
Rowan Sullivan, Charleston, S.C. 36-40--76 CC
Scotty Kennon, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. 37-39--76 DC
Tyler Sabo, Ashland, Ohio 36-40--76 CC
Zach Reuland, Rock Hill, S.C. 36-40--76 CC
Advait Chutke, Flower Mound, Texas 36-41--77 CC
Alex Long, Lakewood Ranch, Fla. 41-36--77 CC
Braeden Barnett, Galivants Ferry, S.C. 37-40--77 CC
Brock Maulding, Lake Tapps, Wash. 40-37--77 DC
Ethan Paschal, Fayetteville, N.C. 39-38--77 DC
Ethan Tseng, Portland, Ore. 39-38--77 DC
Felipe Odio, Costa Rica 38-39--77 DC
Grayson Wetch, Fargo, N.D. 40-37--77 CC
Ian Simonich, Moorhead, Minn. 35-42--77 CC
Jack Beauchamp, Westlake, Texas 37-40--77 DC
Jack Turner, Orlando, Fla. 38-39--77 DC
Justin Larue, Chesterfield, Va. 37-40--77 CC
Logan Paczewski, Dallas, Pa. 41-36--77 DC
Major Lenning, Greenville, S.C. 37-40--77 DC
Mateo Fuenmayor, Beaverton, Ore. 36-41--77 DC
Matthew Yamin, Miami Beach, Fla. 37-40--77 CC
Ruben Lindsay, Scotland 39-38--77 CC
Sam Baker, Cloquet, Minn. 38-39--77 CC
Sebastiano Mascia, Venezuela 38-39--77 DC
Tanner Telford, Mountain Green, Utah 36-41--77 DC
Tyson Shelley, Salt Lake City, Utah 38-39--77 CC
Aidan Oehrle, Pittsburgh, Pa. 41-37--78 CC
Alexander Gibalevich, Studio City, Calif. 36-42--78 CC
Andrew Gregory, Spartanburg, S.C. 40-38--78 DC
Areen Aggarwal, Columbia, Mo. 39-39--78 CC
Bo Carpenter, Tifton, Ga. 40-38--78 DC
Braden Bernaldo, Indio, Calif. 39-39--78 DC
Bryan Kim, Brookeville, Md. 39-39--78 DC
Buck Brumlow, Cartersville, Ga. 39-39--78 DC
Cameron Adam, Scotland 35-43--78 CC
Herong Wang, Irvine, Calif. 37-41--78 CC
Joshua Koo, Cerritos, Calif. 37-41--78 CC
Mason Roloff, Blaine, Minn. 40-38--78 DC
Mykhailo Golod, Ukraine 38-40--78 CC
Naoki Easterday, Portland, Ore. 39-39--78 CC
Nate Stevens, Northfield, Minn. 43-35--78 CC
Nathan Yocam, Sammamish, Wash. 38-40--78 DC
Ryan Bilby, Follansbee, W.Va. 37-41--78 CC
Sean Lee, Singapore 36-42--78 CC
Weston Jones, Sudbury, Mass. 39-39--78 DC
Billy Pabst, Roaring Brook Twp., Pa. 39-40--79 CC
Cade Anderson, Scottsdale, Ariz. 40-39--79 CC
Corbin Bentley, Westerville, Ohio 37-42--79 DC
Dane Watanabe, Kaneohe, Hawaii 39-40--79 CC
Gabe Post, Southlake, Texas 37-42--79 CC
Hsuan-Yi Chen, Chinese Taipei 37-42--79 DC
Hunter Swanson, Denver, Colo. 41-38--79 CC
Jason Shwartz, Bellaire, Texas 44-35--79 CC
Justin Ross, Boca Raton, Fla. 40-39--79 DC
Kevin Watts, Colleyville, Texas 39-40--79 CC
Logan Vargas, Lubbock, Texas 39-40--79 DC
Maddox Crowder, Lafayette, Tenn. 42-37--79 CC
Michael Burry, Saratoga, Calif. 42-37--79 DC
Payne Mcentee, Wellington, Fla. 38-41--79 CC
Sam McWilliams, McCordsville, Ind. 40-39--79 CC
Smith Summerlin, Raleigh, N.C. 38-41--79 DC
Ty Kretz, Marinette, Wis. 41-38--79 DC
Adam Anderson, Ventura, Calif. 41-39--80 CC
Aidan Emmerich, Swampscott, Mass. 39-41--80 DC
Ben Gregg, Dallas, Texas 40-40--80 CC
Brenden Ashman, Clovis, Calif. 41-39--80 DC
Cayden Pope, Lexington, Ky. 37-43--80 DC
Charlie Bundy, Bethesda, Md. 38-42--80 CC
Coltrane Mittag, Ashland, Neb. 37-43--80 CC
Gonzalo Oliva Pinto, Argentina 40-40--80 CC
Jack Berl, Victor, N.Y. 37-43--80 CC
Jacob Beckman, Middleton, Wis. 40-40--80 DC
Joey Per, South Lyon, Mich. 37-43--80 DC
Jordan Gilkison, Springboro, Ohio 43-37--80 DC
Mac McGurn, Glenview, Ill. 41-39--80 DC
Noah McWilliams, Benton, La. 40-40--80 DC
Rafael Estrada, Mexico 40-40--80 CC
Rhett South, Fayetteville, Ark. 42-38--80 DC
Rio Newcombe, Gilbert, Ariz. 40-40--80 DC
Tanner Cardwell, Canada 39-41--80 DC
Will Hennessee, Tulsa, Okla. 42-38--80 DC
Alex Landry, Andover, Mass. 39-42--81 DC
Baylor Larrabee, Ferndale, Wash. 41-40--81 CC
Hunter Johnson, Ankeny, Iowa 40-41--81 CC
Jolo Timothy Magcalayo, Philippines 43-38--81 CC
Jonas Baumgartner, Germany 43-38--81 D
Kiko Francisco Coelho, Portugal 40-41--81 DC
Kyle McLaughlin, Oklahoma City, Okla. 38-43--81 CC
Mason Witt, Xenia, Ohio 39-42--81 CC
Parker Bell, Tallahassee, Fla. 43-38--81 CC
Parker Sands, Edmond, Okla. 39-42--81 CC
Ray Xiong, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. 38-43--81 DC
Ryan O'Rourke, West Bloomfield, Mich. 41-40--81 CC
Seth Conway, Elmira, N.Y. 43-38--81 CC
Simon Roessler, Chile 40-41--81 DC
Wilson Thrift, Charlotte, N.C. 38-43--81 CC
Wyatt Seilkop, Suwanee, Ga. 39-42--81 CC
Angelo Luciani, East Grand Rapids, Mich. 41-41--82 CC
Benton Manly, Tulsa, Okla. 45-37--82 CC
Carson Cooper, Spring, Texas 40-42--82 CC
Jordan Garypie, Chelsea, Mich. 39-43--82 DC
Lance Smith, Holladay, Utah 39-43--82 DC
Levi Keith, San Antonio, Texas 42-40--82 DC
Miles Eastman, Portland, Ore. 36-46--82 DC
Nils Nottebohm, Mexico 37-45--82 CC
Todd Duncan, Daniels, W.Va. 36-46--82 DC
Jackson Naeger, Keller, Texas 37-46--83 DC
John Hiller, New York, N.Y. 42-41--83 CC
Josh Duangmanee, Fairfax, Va. 44-39--83 DC
Mac Drake, Sioux Falls, S.D. 41-42--83 DC
Ryan Curran, Waxhaw, N.C. 43-40--83 CC
Andy Knight, San Diego, Calif. 42-42--84 DC
Hayden Warren, Owensboro, Ky. 42-42--84 DC
Logan Wagner, Quarryville, Pa. 45-39--84 CC
Andreas Diogenous, Canada 41-44--85 CC
Jack Murphy, New Canaan, Conn. 40-45--85 CC
Jonathan Trigg, Cherry Hills Village, Colo. 41-44--85 CC
Marshall Bath, Canada 42-43--85 CC
Trey Rusthoven, St. Peters, Mo. 45-40--85 DC
Braden Burke, Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. 42-44--86 DC
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