Men's Golf | 5/8/2023 9:43:00 PM
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Freshman North Carolina A&T men's golfer Samuel Drew Walker is three shots off the lead after the first day of the PGA Works Championships played at the par-72, 7,025-yard Shoal Creek Club golf course on Monday. Walker shot a 2-under 70 to place fourth behind Chicago State's Kieran Hogarth, who posted a 5-under 67 in Round 1.
The Howard duo of Everett Whiten Jr. and Marcus Smith are tied for second at 3-under 69, and three players are tied for fifth, including A&T graduate Diego Gonzalez who fired a 1-under 71. The play of Walker and Gonzalez put the Aggies in second place after the first day. A&T shot 3-over 291 to finish 10 strokes behind the Howard Bison, who posted a 3-under 281 in the first round. Alabama A&M is third in the 10-team tournament after shooting a 10-over 298.
Walker, who has had one of the best seasons in the seven-year existence of the program, finished even par or under for the ninth time in his last 11 rounds after Monday's action. He carded five birdies and an eagle as he flirted with taking the lead in the tournament during some moments of the first round.
He scored for the first time in the first round on the par-5, 530-yard third with a birdie before a double bogey on the par-3 fifth landed him above par for the first time in the round. But he quickly erased the problematic hole with a three on the par-5, 540-yard sixth to move back to 1-under. Consecutive bogeys, however, on the next two holes sent him into the clubhouse at 1-over.
Then, Walker heated up on the back nine. Consecutive birdies on the par-5, 525-yard 11th and the par-4, 430-yard, 12th, got him back to 1-under. He lowered his score again with a birdie on the par-4, 405-yard 15th before carding his final birdie of the round with a four on the par-5, 530-yard 17th. His day, unfortunately, ended with a bogey on 18, keeping him away from a second-place tie with Howard's Whiten and Smith. Walker ended Round 1, shooting 5-under on the par-5s.
Gonzalez's day also included an eagle on No. 6. The eagle moved him to 3-under after also birdied No. 3. He made the turn out of the clubhouse at 3-under before carding pars on the first four holes of the back nine to remain near the top of the leaderboard. But his first hiccup of the day came on par-4 14th. Gonzalez double-bogeyed the hole to slide to 1-under. To his credit, he came back to birdie the 15th. A bogey on 16 and pars on the 17th and 18th ended Gonzalez's day at 1-under.
Martin Gutierrez had a solid round on Monday. He posted three birdies to finish with a 2-over 74. He is in a tie for 13th. After bogeying two of his first five holes, he earned a birdie on No. 6 before carding a three on the par-4, 775-yard seventh. His double bogey moved him back to 2-over before a birdie on No. 11. He posted pars on six of his final seven holes, the only bogey coming on the par-4 15th.
Freshman Conrado Chozas finished in a five-way tie for 17th after shooting a 76 on Monday. The three-day tournament continues with another 18 holes on Tuesday.
