Round one Recap

- May 5th 2024

Long time Clovernook Golf Professional Bob Harrison would often make the comment that “golf is an outdoor sport, and you must be prepared to deal with the elements of weather”. For the participants in the opening round of the 2024 Clovernook Open this couldn’t have been truer. Overnight, mother nature decided to turn on her own sprinkler system dousing the course with over an inch of rain. With a stern test ahead of them these wet soggy conditions just added another layer of difficulty to the hurdles facing the field of 120 players.

Due to the rain, play was delayed for an hour giving Superintendent Bob Shetter and his agronomy team some much needed time to prepare the course for play. As a result of the rainfall players were allowed to play “Lift, Clean and Place” for balls in closely mown areas.

Having the availability of perfect lies from the fairways it didn’t take long for the leaderboard to hit red numbers. Playing in the second group, out of Elder High School, Junior Cayse Morgan quickly took control of the event. After an easy birdie on one Morgan lost a stroke on the difficult par 3 fourth and then he took control with birdies on 4, 5, & 7. He hit a slight road bump with a bogey on 8 and finished the outward nine with a score of 33.

The back nine was rather boring, if you can call pars on a difficult layout as such, as he started with 6 straight. But Morgan, who finished third in the 2023 Division I Ohio High School Athletic Association State Tournament, wasn’t done. In his true stoic, calm demeanor he preceded to birdie the final three holes, for an inward score of 33, setting the pace with a 5 under par round of 66.

As the day progressed the scores started to get lower and while Morgan had held the lead for much of the day along came Michael Balcar and Will Grimmer. Balcar found himself with the top spot after a bogey free round of 65 including 4 birdies and an eagle 3 on the first. Grimmer, a Cincinnati Native and Ohio State University product, took advantage of the soft greens himself with seven birdies and one lone bogey on the 15th, to join Balcar. Later in the round Dylan Van Fossen also posted 7 birdies and a lone bogey for another 65 making it a trio at the top of the chart.

With the course drying out for the players in the afternoon the scores started to fall. At days end the leaderboard showed 57 players under par including three rounds of 65, eight rounds of 66, three rounds at 67, and nine rounds at 68.

Thursday is moving day as players jockey to position themselves within a few shots of the lead to have a chance at the top prize on Friday. Tee times start at 7:30 so, if you are able, come out to the course to watch some fantastic play from these touring professionals.

- Dave Miller, GCGA Tournament Director