MILLSBORO, Del. – Blake Micholas’ last three opening rounds of the Delaware Amateur have been up and down to say the least.
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He fired a 66 in 2023 at Wild Quail Golf & Country Club on his way to the title. Last year at White Clay Creek Country Club he shot 85.
“It’s funny how golf works sometimes,” Micholas, 27, of Rehoboth Beach, Del., said. “At White Clay Creek, I didn’t feel too comfortable in that first round and wasn’t confident. I was starting my new job and I wasn’t preparing my game as much for it. I just thought as the defending champion I could show up and still play good golf. Golf is a humbling game.”
Micholas heated up Plantation Lakes Golf & Country Club (par 71, 6,440 yards) with a 6-under-par 66 to seize the Day One lead of the 74th Delaware Amateur Monday.
Defending champion Evan Barbin of Chesapeake Bay Golf Club sits in a tie for 29th after an opening round of 74. Recent Penn State University graduate Jake Griffin of the Amateur Golf Society sits in solo second after a 66.
The field will be cut to the low 36 players and ties following the second round Tuesday. Competitors will play the final 36 holes of the 72-hole event Wednesday.
“My game hasn’t necessarily been sharp,” Micholas, who works in sale-leaseback for STREAM Capital Partners, said. “This year I wanted to make a push to play more golf. My coach told me that’s the only way to keep playing well in tournaments. I have been managing work and golf. I found that I am more disciplined when I practice because I don’t have a plethora of time to have my game perfect. So I stick with what works.”
Micholas has displayed prowess this year in the first two GAP Majors. He finished tied for sixth in the 42nd GAP Middle-Amateur at Riverton Country Club. He made the Round of 16 in the 125th BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship at Aronimink Golf Club. He is taking advantage of the exemptions that come with being a past Delaware Amateur champion.
“Winning the Delaware Amateur definitely showed me I am able to win big tournaments,” Micholas said. “It has been exciting and awesome to have these opportunities to play in GAP Majors also.”
Micholas turned up the heat with a 2 under front nine highlighted by an eagle on No. 6 (par 4, 325 yards). Micholas rifled a driver to 15 feet and converted. His second nine flames rose higher.
He came home on his final nine in 4 under. He jarred a 12-footer for birdie on No. 10 (par 4, 320 yards) and rolled in a 6-footer for a red figure on No. 13 (par 5, 546 yards). A squared-up 9-iron on No. 15 (par 3, 175 yards) to 15 feet got him to 5 under for his round.
Micholas, of Kings Creek Country Club, rounded out his red figures by knocking in an 8-footer on No. 16 (par 4, 320 yards). A clutch 18-footer for par on No. 17 (par 4, 442 yards) kept all of his momentum intact.
When he won the Delaware Amateur in 2023, he used his trusty Bettinardi armlock putter. At Riverton, he cashed in his pro shop credit earnings from the GAP Mid-Am for a Scotty Cameron Phantom putter. The change has paid dividends for Micholas.
“Sometimes a fresh look with a different putter can help,” Micholas said. “I bought that putter after the GAP Mid-Am and the next morning I went out and played with my friends at Kings Creek and shot 63. I made every putt I looked at. My other putter is still in my trunk. I am not sure that it is going to come out.”
With temperatures projected to reach triple digits for the final two days, mental and physical composure will be important. Limiting mistakes and keeping your head in it is paramount.
“The biggest key is drinking a lot of water,” Micholas said. “The night before competition is the most important time to drink water because you don’t want to be behind when you get to a tournament. I’m used to days like this so the temperature doesn’t bother me that much. In a 72-hole tournament, limiting mistakes is important to be in contention.
Griffin also has a state amateur title on his resume. He won the Maryland Amateur at his home club Argyle Country Club in 2022. He added the Maryland Open title in 2021.
The recent Penn State University graduate kickstarted his Delaware Amateur campaign by canning a 45-footer on his first hole of the day, No. 11 (par 3, 150 yards).
“I felt like I did a good job of taking advantage of the short par 4s and the par 5s,” Griffin, 22, of Bethesda, Md., said. “If you put yourself in good position off the tee you will have plenty of chances to score here. The greens are a little quirky and crazy but if you keep it below the hole, you can have success.”
Griffin, playing at the hottest point of the day with a real-feel temperature that reached 110 degrees, he stayed cool with wet towels and dumping water on his head. Starting on the second nine, smooth-swinging Nittany Lion fired a final nine of 4 under to get within one of Micholas.
“There’s a lot of golf to be played,” Griffin said. “There are a lot of shorter par 4s and reachable par 5s. Taking advantage of those and keeping the ball in front of you will be important for a good week here.”
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GAP
Celebrating Amateur Golf since 1897, GAP, also known as the Golf Association of Philadelphia, is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The organization’s 345 Member Clubs and 130,000 individual members are spread across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.
Round 1 | |
Name, club | R1 |
Blake Micholas, Kings Creek Country Club | 65 |
Jake Griffin, Amateur Golf Society | 66 |
Tyler Debusschere, DuPont Country Club | 68 |
Michael Lugiano, Huntsville Golf Club | 68 |
Eli Shah, Penn Oaks Golf Club | 68 |
Jackson Debusschere, DuPont Country Club | 69 |
Jack Irons, Medford Lakes Country Club | 70 |
Jackson Roman, Briarwood Golf Club | 70 |
Hunter Stetson, Aronimink Golf Club | 70 |
Calen Sanderson, Jericho National Golf Club | 70 |
Andrew Bilson, Bent Creek Country Club | 70 |
Michael Crowley, Briarwood Golf Club | 71 |
Noah Wallace, Chesapeake Bay Golf Club | 71 |
Matthew Homer, Wilmington Country Club | 71 |
Caleb Itzoe, Briarwood Golf Club | 71 |
Ryan Smith, USGA/GAP GC | 71 |
Alexander Hall, Blue Bell Country Club | 71 |
Charlie Bundy, Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association | 71 |
Dustin Stocksdale, Briarwood Golf Club | 72 |
Alex Seelig, LedgeRock Golf Club | 72 |
Jake Haberstumpf, LedgeRock Golf Club | 72 |
Ryan Bree, Fieldstone Golf Club | 73 |
Aaron Williams, Bayside Resort Golf Club | 73 |
Logan Paczewski, Huntsville Golf Club | 73 |
Thomas Young, Saucon Valley Country Club | 73 |
Eric Miller, USGA/GAP GC | 73 |
Pablo Quintero, USGA/GAP GC | 73 |
Matt Dolinsky, Heidelberg Country Club | 73 |
Evan Barbin, Chesapeake Bay Golf Club | 74 |
Cameron Baynum, USGA/GAP GC | 74 |
Logan Wagner, Bent Creek Country Club | 74 |
Ed Brown, Rehoboth Beach Country Club | 74 |
Andrew Sellers, Hooper’s Landing Golf Course | 74 |
Peyton Mussina, Williamsport Country Club | 75 |
Alex Hosier, French Creek Golf Club | 75 |
Trace DeLeon, Baywood Greens | 75 |
Bryan Janocha, DuPont Country Club | 75 |
Matthew Perry, Ocean City Golf Club | 75 |
Joey Lostumbo, Stanton Ridge Golf & Country Club | 75 |
Daniel Oh, Blue Bell Country Club | 75 |
Lorenzo Sanz, Briarwood Golf Club | 76 |
Craig Tronti, Chesapeake Bay Golf Club | 76 |
Brandon Wilson, Chesapeake Bay Golf Club | 76 |
John Keba, USGA/GAP GC | 76 |
Dylan Chessher, Wild Quail Golf & Country Club | 76 |
Jairus Gaines, Chesapeake Bay Golf Club | 76 |
Matthew Vital, Northampton Country Club | 76 |
Chris Noll, Wild Quail Golf & Country Club | 76 |
Jeter Teng, DuPont Country Club | 76 |
James Ihasz, III, Plantation Lakes Golf & Country Club | 77 |
Chris Waldmann, The 1912 Club | 77 |
Henry Nowak, DuPont Country Club | 77 |
Robert Bechtold, Fieldstone Golf Club | 77 |
Michael Vital, Northampton Country Club | 77 |
Ryan Gracey, Hartefeld National | 77 |
William Howard, Applebrook Golf Club | 77 |
Joseph Kelly, DuPont Country Club | 77 |
Eric Risner, Newark Country Club | 77 |
Ryan Hagerty, DuPont Country Club | 78 |
Jeffrey Homer, Wilmington Country Club | 78 |
Alex Mulrooney, DuPont Country Club | 78 |
Joshua Freeman, USGA/GAP GC | 78 |
Brooks Hoffman, USGA/GAP GC | 78 |
Kevin Lafond, Blue Bell Country Club | 79 |
Ryan Richardson, Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association | 79 |
Braden DeCapite, Bayside Resort Golf Club | 79 |
John Cole, Plantation Lakes Golf & Country Club | 79 |
Zacary Novak, Pine Ridge Golf Course | 80 |
Sebastian Botero, North Hills Country Club | 80 |
Timothy Yoder, USGA/GAP GC | 80 |
Matt Graeff, Manufacturers’ Golf & Country Club | 80 |
Jonathan Brohawn, Heritage Shores | 80 |
Nick Shevland, Cripple Creek Golf & Country Club | 80 |
Juan Johnson, Plantation Lakes Golf & Country Club | 81 |
Robert Lugiano, Huntsville Golf Club | 81 |
Braden Paris, Chesapeake Bay Golf Club | 81 |
Tim Golden, Rehoboth Beach Country Club | 81 |
Scott Bergson, Little Mill Country Club | 81 |
Tyler McDonald, Plantation Lakes Golf & Country Club | 82 |
J.T. Krynock, USGA/GAP GC | 82 |
Ben Gehrt, Hartefeld National | 82 |
Corey Betham, St. Davids Golf Club | 82 |
Charlie Ferrise, RiverCrest GC & Preserve | 82 |
John Walsh, Bear Trap Dunes Golf Club | 82 |
Matt Rosal, USGA/GAP GC | 82 |
Nate Perrone, Moorestown Field Club | 82 |
Robbie Lohkamp, DuPont Country Club | 83 |
Steve Oh, Chesapeake Bay Golf Club | 83 |
Kie Shaw, Rock Manor Golf Club | 83 |
Connor Matteo, Blue Ridge Trail Golf Club | 83 |
Joe Capen, Plantation Lakes Golf & Country Club | 83 |
Will Sass, Ocean City Golf Club | 84 |
Brent Glah, Commonwealth National Golf Club | 85 |
Garrett Dixon, Wild Quail Golf & Country Club | 85 |
Jacob Biasotto, USGA/GAP GC | 85 |
Jonathan Lombardo, Plantation Lakes Golf & Country Club | 85 |
Robert Grife, Little Mill Country Club | 86 |
Shane Miller, Plantation Lakes Golf & Country Club | 87 |
Anthony Saienni, Kings Creek Country Club | 87 |
Ryan Feldman, Amateur Golf Society | 88 |
Steven Kaminsky, The Rookery Golf Club | 88 |
Ryan Dill, Newark Country Club | 88 |
Peter Malonoski, USGA/GAP GC | 89 |
Nathan Eldridge, Quail Valley Golf Club | 89 |
Kingston Davis, Kings Creek Country Club | 91 |
John Edmiston, DuPont Country Club | 92 |
Michael Freccia, USGA/GAP GC | 92 |
Joel Perry, GAP Youth on Course | 92 |
Dominic Piperno, USGA/GAP GC | 92 |
Brendan Schott, Rock Manor Golf Club | 97 |
Damon Watkins, Chambersburg Country Club | 101 |
Brandon Christopher, DuPont Country Club | 89 (WD) |
Connor Vanin, DuPont Country Club | WD |
Jack Dixon, Wild Quail Golf & Country Club | WD |
David Pic, White Clay Creek Country Club | WD |
Greg Sadowski, Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association | WD |
Mike Quirk, Sunnybrook Golf Club | WD |
WD – withdraw |