As a first-time USGA championship venue, Sand Valley Resort more than held its own on Day 1 of the 45th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship on Saturday.
The Lido, modeled after the classic Charles B. Macdonald design that closed during World War II on Long Island (N.Y.), and stroke-play co-host Sand Valley, the first layout to open at the central Wisconsin golf destination developed by Mike Keiser and now overseen by his two sons, Mike and Chris, provided a stern test for the world’s best 25-and-older competitors.
Even on an idyllic early fall day, where temperatures rose from the mid-40s at first ball to the upper 60s by the late afternoon, the firm and fast conditions combined with the nuances of both venues made for a challenging opening round.
Scoring averages at both venues were quite similar: 75.42 for The Lido and 76.13 for Sand Valley.
But Bobby Massa, the 2024 runner-up, didn’t follow the rank and file.
Thanks to an eagle-2 on the 443-yard 10th hole at The Lido, the Dallas, Texas, resident matched the second-lowest 18-hole score in championship history with a 7-under 64. Only Jim Wilson, who shot a 63 in 2000 at The Homestead (Cascades Course), in Hot Springs, Va., has gone lower.
Massa finished two strokes ahead of former Clemson University standout Phillip Mollica, of Charleston, S.C., who registered the best score at Sand Valley.
Former Louisiana State University All-America Zach Wright, of Prosper, Texas, carded a 4-under 67 at The Lido.
Nine more competitors fired 2-under 69s.
Jack Biwer, of Torrance, Calif., who took a 10-year hiatus from competitive golf after finishing high school, 2021 Northern California Golf Association Player of the Year Brett Viboch, of Lafayette, Michael Busse, of Rochester Hills, Mich., the son of two PGA Class A instructors, and ex-University of Oregon golfer Zach Foushee, of Lake Oswego, Ore., all shot 69s on the Sand Valley Course.
Posting 69 at The Lido were Matthew Paradis, of Naples, Fla., a full-time caddie at Calusa Pines Golf Club, 2017 North Carolina Amateur champion John Eades, of Charlotte, N.C., 2025 U.S. Open qualifier Matt Vogt, who runs a dental practice in Indianapolis, Ind., 2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champion Grady Brame, Jr., of Hammond, La., and Mikel Martinson, of Throckmorton, Texas.
Massa, a physical trainer who has worked with a number of high-profile athletes in the Dallas Metroplex to improve their swing speed, was on the verge of matching the 18-hole scoring record until a three-putt bogey on the par-4 closing hole.
“That left a sour taste in my mouth,” said Massa, who was defeated by Evan Beck at Kinloch Golf Club outside of Richmond, Va. “Other than that, it was a great day.”
Massa, a semifinalist in this year’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with his brother Cody when the side lost in 22 holes to the eventual champions of Brame Jr. and Lawrence Allan, did not see his 130-yard, lob-wedge approach from the left rough on No. 10 find the hole. His fellow competitors yelled “great shot” and that’s when the powerfully built Massa figured it found the hole. He proceeded to birdie, 13, 15, 16 and 17 to reach 8 under for the day.
“I've struggled pretty much all year to be honest with you,” said Massa, a quarterfinalist in the 2024 U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National. “And I’ve been working on some of the feels that I had back home, and then I played the Crump Cup last week [at Pine Valley], and it was kind of, like, off and on, and then the last round, started to hit it a little bit better, even though I lost. I got a couple days of practicing, and it kind of felt a little bit better, and then just trying to ride that same swing thought, and hope it continues to work.”
Mollica, who played professionally for seven years and also caddied for PGA Tour pro Patton Kazzire before getting his amateur status back in 2022, nearly carded a back-nine 29 at Sand Valley. It all started with a 20-foot eagle on the par-5 10th, and then he followed with a birdie at 11, and three consecutive birdies from No. 15. Now working in the insurance company out of Baltimore, the left-hander rolled in a 5-footer at 15, a 10-footer at the 16 th and followed with a beautiful 4-iron at the 257-yard 17th and “got lucky with the bowl-like green.”
For the second straight day, including his Friday practice round, he missed the fairway on the par-5 18th and settled for a 5.
Now he heads to The Lido, a course style he’s somewhat familiar with as he’s a member of the Country Club of Charleston, a Seth Raynor design. Raynor was a disciple of Macdonald.
Wright, who helped the LSU Tigers win the 2015 NCAA title, got off to a shaky start on The Lido with an opening bogey, then played 5-under golf over his last 17 holes, including consecutive birdies on 17 and 18. He now works in the banking industry after earning an MBA from LSU Shreveport.
Biwer, 28, just regained his love for the game seven months ago, perhaps inspired by the success of younger brother, Justin, a University of Colorado graduate who will be competing on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2027. Three and a half years his junior, Justin, who is on Jack’s bag this week, currently sits fifth in the season-long points race with one event remaining. The top 10 on the points list graduate to the Korn Ferry Tour.
Last August, Jack caddied for Justin when he competed in the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club. Earlier this year, a buddy suggested that Jack file an entry for the U.S. Mid-Amateur, even though he had only played some 50 recreational rounds in the last decade. Biwer qualified and posted a sub-par score in his first USGA championship round. It included an 8-foot birdie putt on his closing hole, the 294-yard ninth at Sand Valley when he executed a heroic pitch over a bunker. The mortgage broker who did not attend college now finds himself in ideal position to qualify for match play.
“I think the biggest thing for me is it's just I'm enjoying golf a lot more than I did for the majority of [my childhood],” said Biwer. “It's almost like when I was probably 6, 7 years old, where you just go out on the range in the afternoon and have fun. That's kind of how golf is feeling again now.”
Viboch has always had a deep passion for the game, dating to his days on the Chico (Calif.) State golf team. In 2021, he enjoyed one of his best seasons, advancing to the Round of 16 of this championship – he lost to eventual runner-up Mark Costanza – along with becoming the Northern California Golf Association’s Player of the Year and meeting his wife, Jessica. The 42-year-old had to withdraw from last year’s championship due to a life-changing moment: the birth of his daughter, Jordyn, who turns 1 on Thursday, the day of the scheduled 36-hole final. He is playing this year on the USGA’s Family Deferment Exemption.
So, shooting 2 under on Saturday was a nice way to start what he hopes will be a memorable week. In addition, his U.S. Amateur Four-Ball partner Bobby Bucey also is competing (he shot a 75 at Sand Valley), and in two weeks, he’ll be the Best Man in his wedding.
“I’ve got to work in my speech,” he said after signing his card and grabbing a beer to watch Bucey finish.
Fortunately, Viboch works at a 98-year-old, family-owned business whose CEO, Jeff Curtis, was up at 5 a.m. PDT time to follow his round. Curtis has caddied for Viboch in six of his 10 USGA starts, but he and his wife just welcomed their second child. Viboch covers California for Curtis Blue Line, which produces body armor, night-vision goggles, uniforms and gas masks for law enforcement as well as firefighting equipment to military bases around the globe.
“I have not played a lot this year,” said Viboch. “Skipped our state am and our [NCGA] stroke play championship. But the experience at these [USGA events] is huge to know how to play smart [and] play disciplined. And I feel I'm very purposeful with my time being away from my daughter and my wife.”
Busse, a former standout at Austin Peay State in Kentucky who briefly tried professional golf before regaining his status last year, seems to pick top U.S. golf destinations for his USGA events. In 2019, he competed in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Bandon Dunes, another Mike Keiser property that is similar to Sand Valley only with an ocean, and now this venue for his first U.S. Mid-Amateur. While not all that comfortable with links-style golf, one of the 18-hole layouts at his home club, Indianwood Golf & C.C., has a similar feel, although he said the Old Course doesn’t play exactly like these two venues.
But buoyed by an eagle-3 on the 10th hole – a 25-footer after reaching in two – Busse managed to post 69, leaving him in excellent position to make match play.
Paradis planned on becoming a firefighter when he graduated high school in Hookster, N.H. But he was lured to Division II Southern New Hampshire University, where he won 11 times. He then relocated to Florida to caddie at Calusa Pines while honing his golf game. The professional career, however, didn’t pan out and now he’s a full-time caddie.
He had a near-flawless card in Round 1, posting three birdies to his lone bogey, which came at the par-4 18th of The Lido.
Eades, like Viboch, is competing in his 10th USGA championship, but until Saturday’s round, he had never performed well in stroke play. Perhaps that changes this week for the 45-year-old father of two boys, ages 14 and 11. The owner of a leadership development and sales training company, he also serves as a middle-school football coach. Fortunately, the Holy Trinity Bulldogs are on a bye this week, allowing Eades to sneak away for some competitive golf.
Three birdies over a five-hole stretch on The Lido’s front nine – he started on 10 – helped offset a bogey on his opening hole and another on the 484-yard sixth.
What’s Next
The second and final round of stroke play will take place on Sunday. Competitors who played The Lido on Saturday will switch over to the Sand Valley Course, the stroke-play co-host, and vice versa. Following play, the field will be cut to the low 64 scorers for match play. If necessary, a playoff will be held on Monday morning at The Lido to determine the final spots in the draw.
Notable
Defending champion Brandon Holtz opened with a 1-over 72 at Sand Valley, which included an eagle-2 on the 294-yard ninth hole, one of three made at the drivable hole in Round 1. Jeg Coughlin III, the runner-up last year, fired a 2-over 73 at The Lido.
Three-time champion Stewart Hagestad, fresh off his sixth Walker Cup appearance, carded an even-par 71 on The Lido.
Michael McCoy, the only player to have won a U.S. Mid-Amateur (2013) and U.S. Senior Amateur (2025), opened with a 1-over 72 at The Lido. At 63, he’s the oldest player in the field.
Sand Valley caddies Adam Miller and Matt Hutchins had the honor of hitting the opening tee shots at The Lido and Sand Valley Course, respectively. Miller is a Wisconsin native who has caddied at the resort since its opening in 2017. Hutchins, who played at both Chico State and UCLA, has been at the resort for the past six years. He goes down to Naples, Fla., during the winter months. Miller opened with a 1-under 70 and Hutchins birdied his final hole to post 71, a round that included an eagle-3 on the par-5 10th hole.
A total of 103 Sand Valley caddies landed bags for this week’s championship. During the summer, the resort has some 430 caddies.
Speaking of caddies, a major champion is on a bag this week. Steve Elkington, who claimed the 1995 PGA Championship at The Riviera Country Club and won a pair of Players Championships, is carrying for his son, Sam. Sam also played at his father’s alma mater, the University of Houston. Steve won three NCAA titles with the Cougars in 1982, ’84 and ’85.
Zach Wright has his wife, Lindsay Weaver-Wright, on his bag. She won the Symetra Tour’s Guardian Championship in 2017 and was a former junior golf standout in Phoenix, playing on the victorious 2011 Junior Solheim Cup Team, where she defeated Charley Hull, 2 and 1, in singles play. She’s also a former Big East Conference Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year while at Notre Dame, capturing the 2013 Big East title before transferring to the University of Arizona. In 2014, she was the Pacific-10 Conference runner-up to Allison Lee. Zach, also a former junior standout in the state of Arizona, played at LSU and briefly on the Korn Ferry Tour before regaining his amateur status. He is the assistant men’s golf coach at the University of North Texas.
Garrett Rank is about to see far fewer tee times and way more ice time. A full-time NHL referee since 2015 (at 27, he was the youngest ref at the time), the 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up did three preseason games earlier this week and is scheduled to work his first regular-season game on Oct. 3. With the number of regular-season games expanding from 82 to 84 this season, the NHL is starting its 2026-27 campaign a week earlier. The 2026 Canadian Mid-Amateur champion got time away from the rink this week to compete at Sand Valley, where he opened with an even-par 71 on Sand Valley.
Rank isn’t the only non-golf official competing this week. Division I college basketball referee and former Georgia Tech wide receiver RB Clyburn also qualified and posted a 75 at Sand Valley.
John Reis, known in USGA circles as “The Voice,” is serving as the first-tee start at Sand Valley during stroke play. His famous line is “Make it memorable gentleman.” David Fite is starting players at No. 10. At The Lido, Rogan Doyle and Will Cawthon started players at No. 1 and 10, respectively.
Matt Parziale, the 2017 champion from Brockton, Mass., withdrew on the 17th hole of The Lido due to injury.
Bret Parker was disqualified when he was in violation of Rule 3.3.
Quotable
“It feels pretty similar. Driving it there is a little bit easier in my eyes because you can visualize a lot of stuff out here on Lido. There's a lot of blind shots. I really take pride in my in driving the golf ball. I’m not very long, but it can go where I want. I'm hoping I can just keep it in play out there tomorrow and missing the right spots is key around here because there's one bad shot and you're in trouble.” – Matt Paradis on transitioning from The Lido to co-host Sand Valley for Round 2 of stroke play
“I got a feel for the atmosphere and everything, but this is my first time as a player. Having him out here is just a lot of fun. It's almost kind of funny to have him as like a bro out here on the bag for me, but like I said, I appreciate it a lot and I trust his input.” – Jack Biwer on having his younger brother, Justin, a PGA Tour Americas player who earned his Korn Ferry Tour status for 2027, on his bag.
“The adrenaline was kicking. It might have been a long drive of the day. I just aimed for a bunker, knowing I probably wouldn't hit one exactly where I was aiming. So that’s sometimes the theory out here is maybe aim for the trouble knowing that you’ve got to hit a perfect shot to go in the junk.” – Sand Valley caddie and local resident Adam Miller on hitting the first ball of the championship at The Lido
“I think there's a decent advantage out there for sure. It's just anybody that has home course knowledge and the comfortability that comes with it, the comfortability of being able to know where you want to place the ball, you know how to hit that shot, to get it there, is definitely a big thing.” – Miller on his local knowledge of the resort
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