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Quartet tied at 4 under after Open's 1st round

  MALVERN, Pa.–The talk surrounding the first round of the 94th Open Championship revolved around the color red, as in under-par scores.

  A total of 32 players out of the field of 129 finished below the course’s par 71 on Monday at a brutally hot and sticky Applebrook GC (6,815 yards). It was a perfect golfing storm, as the state’s top players mixed with ideal scoring conditions on a flawless golf course to produce an astonishing number of red figures.

ROBERT ROHANNA
  Per the day, the leaderboard finished with a quartet tied at 4-under par. Touring professionals Kevin Busteed of Peckville, Pa.; Blaine Peffley of Lebanon, Pa. and Robert Rohanna of Waynesburg, Pa., and amateur Nathan Sutherland of Wyomissing, Pa., a senior at Miami University (Ohio), all finished at 67.

  Rohanna and Sutherland, who played in the 8:30 a.m. group off the No. 1 tee, were the first in the clubhouse. Sutherland managed a very workmanlike round with five birdies and one bogey while Rohanna caught fire on the back nine to card a spectacular 31.

  Sutherland coasted through a 3-under front nine with birdies on No. 3 (par 4, 310 yards), a wedge from 108 yards to three feet; No. 4 (par 4, 418 yards), a pitching wedge from 138 yards to a foot; and No. 7 (par 4, 466 yards) when he drained a 40 footer. On No. 10 (par 5, 573 yards), he rocketed a 3-wood from 250 yards over the green and got-and-down for birdie to move to 4 under but bogeyed No. 12 (par 4, 370 yards) with a three-putt from 15 feet to drop a shot. He responded on No. 14 (par 4, 444 yards) with a 3 when he knocked a gap wedge from 105 yards to eight feet.

  “I’m happy. That’s the best round I’ve played in three months,” said Sutherland, 21, who plays out of Oakmont CC. “I’ve been putting too much pressure on myself this summer so today I came out, tried to relax and enjoy myself. And I did.”

  Rohanna, 24, a mini-tour professional from Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, has battled a wrist injury all year. This was his first tournament since the beginning of July.

  “I’m really excited,” said Rohanna, a former Penn State University star. “I didn’t hit it too solid, but I made a lot of par savers to keep the round going.” There were six of those to be exact.

  More impressive than those par saves maybe were his three birdies and eagle on the difficult back nine.

  Rohanna made the turn even, but immediately stated his intentions on No. 10 with a 5-iron from 212 yards to 15 feet. He drained the eagle putt to move into red figures. A birdie on No. 13 (par 4, 453 yards) with an 8-iron from 168 yards to inches followed as did 1-under par scores on No. 16 (par 5, 578 yards) with a “1 in 50” bunker shot from the front left that stopped a foot shy of the cup and a 7-iron on No. 17 (par 3, 179 yards) that ended 10 feet from the hole. He did bogey No. 18 (par 4, 454 yards) when he blocked his drive right, but all-in-all Rohanna was satisfied.

  “I’m pretty ecstatic,” said Rohanna.

  Next in the house was Kevin Busteed, 24, from Fox Hill CC. A Temple University graduate last May, Busteed carded a birdie and eight pars on the front side before registering three under-par scores in the first five holes of the back. On No. 10, he dropped a 96-yard wedge to five feet; on No. 11 (par 3, 121 yards), he hit a gap wedge to six feet and on No. 14 he ripped a 9-iron from 142 yards to eight feet. A bogey hiccup on No. 16 (par 5, 578 yards) after a three putt from 30 feet followed but Busteed answered that mistake with a nice 20-foot downhill birdie on No. 18 (par 4, 454 yards).

  A regular in New England professional events this summer, Busteed finished second in the New Hampshire Open recently.

  Peffley was the lone afternoon player to finish at the top.

  The 25-year-old from Lebanon CC, who holds conditional status on the Nationwide Tour, carded seven birdies and three bogeys on his round.

  Early on, it had all the makings of one of those days for Peffley. Despite never seeing the course before, he birdied the first three holes he played. Peffley two putted for birdie from 25 feet on No. 1 (par 5, 522 yards); hit a sand wedge from 60 yards on No. 2 (par 4, 366 yards) to two feet and knocked a pitching wedge from 128 yards on No. 3 to six feet. He would give two of those back a few holes later but eventually turned the front side in 2 under.

  On No. 10, Peffley’s second landed just off but a chip shot later stopped a foot from cup and pushed him to 3 under. He fired a gap wedge to 10 feet on No. 11 (par 3, 121 yards) and a sand wedge on No. 14 to six feet to get to 5 under but bogeyed No. 17 (par 3, 179 yards) after missing the green left before ending his round with a par.

  “I’ve been battling some back problems and I haven’t been able to get into a comfortable schedule on the Nationwide Tour because of my status, so it’s been a struggle,” said Peffley, who came back to the area last night from a Hooters Tour event in Tennessee. “I’m excited to play in the morning and will need to continue attacking.”

NOTES–Robert Gill, an amateur from Shavertown, Pa. and Fox Hill CC, recorded an ace on the tremendously difficult No. 15 (par 3, 224 yards). In relation to par, No. 15 proved to be the hardest hole on the course, almost a half stroke more than its par 3. Gill swung a 4-hybrid, watched it land 10-feet short-right and roll in for his second career hole-in-one. It was his second ace in three weeks.

Name, city, state

Rd. 1

Kevin J. Busteed, Peckville, Pa.

67

(a) Nathan Sutherland, Wyomissing, Pa.

67

Robert T. Rohanna, Waynesburg, Pa.

67

Blaine E. Peffley, Lebanon, Pa.

67

Chad A. Bricker, Waynesboro, Pa.

68

Billy Stewart, Devon, Pa.

68

(a) Andrew J. Mason, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.

68

David McNabb, Newark, Pa.

68

(a) Robert B. Galbreath, Jr., Huntingdon Valley, Pa.

68

(a) Matt Smith, Lancaster, Pa.

68

(a) Matt Moot, Johnstown, Pa.

68

Scott E. Hunter, Collegeville, Pa.

68

John Spina, Schwenksville, Pa.

69

Eric Kennedy, Haverford, Pa.

69

(a) Brian C. Creghan, Radnor, Pa.

69

Joe Boros, Saxonburg, Pa.

69

John D. Allen, Media, Pa.

69

(a) Zak Drescher, Landisville, Pa.

69

Mike Larkin, Gibsonia, Pa.

69

Jon Rusk, Yardley, Pa.

69

(a) Brixton Albert, Lititz, Pa.

70

Hugh P. Reilly, Willow Grove, Pa.

70

(a) Robert L. Robertson, Philadelphia, Pa.

70

Daniel Konieczny, Mt. Pleasant, Pa.

70

(a) Gregor A. Orlando, Erie, Pa.

70

David S. Patronik, Erie, Pa.

70

(a) Kyle T. Davis, Kennett Square, Pa.

70

Dan Thompson, Johnstown, Pa.

70

Gregory Pieczynski, Kingston, Pa.

70

(a) Jeffrey A. Varga, Monroeville, Pa.

70

(a) Tucker Koch, Malvern, Pa.

70

John Aber, Pittsburgh, Pa.

70

(a) Andrew K. Kay, Pittsford, Pa.

71

(a) Ryan C Blair, Center Valley, Pa.

71

Conrad Von Borsig, Swarthmore, Pa.

71

Jarred Texter, Millersville, Pa.

71

(a) James Kania, Jr., Haverford, Pa.

71

(a) Eric W. Williams, Honesdale, Pa.

71

John E. Pillar, Sr., Hawley, Pa.

71

(a) David DeNunzio, Jeannette, Pa.

71

Brandon Knaub, Seven Valleys, Pa.

71

Kevin Shields, Pittsburgh, Pa.

71

Roy Vucinich, Moon Twp, Pa.

71

Bob Friend, Pittsburgh, Pa.

71

Travis W. Deibert, Doylestown, Pa.

71

(a) Michael Heller, Wapwallopen, Pa.

72

(a) Steven R. Minnick, Jr., Broomall, Pa.

72

(a) John Popeck, Washington, Pa.

72

Corey McAlarney, Lake Ariel, Pa.

72

Kevin Nicholson, Schwenksville, Pa.

72

(a) C.G. Mercatoris, IV, Brookville, Pa.

72

Stephen Arnold, Langhorne, Pa.

72

(a) Brandon Dalinka, Newtown, Pa.

72

(a) Nicolas Milito, Jeannette, Pa.

72

Adam R. Condello, West Chester, Pa.

72

Albert Hromulak, Pittsburgh, Pa.

72

(a) Ryan J. Gelrod, Ambler, Pa.

72

(a) Ross P. Pringle, Titusville, Pa.

72

Chad N. Warmbein, McMurray, Pa.

73

(a) Michael F. Johnson, Ambler, Pa.

73

(a) Patrick H. Serfass, Chadds Ford, Pa.

73

Terry Hertzog, Lititz, Pa.

73

Brian Kelly, Lewisburg, Pa.

73

Robert D. Shuey, Mechanicsburg, Pa.

73

David Pagett, Oreland, Pa.

73

(a) Erik B. Bertrand, Pittsburgh, Pa.

73

(a) Anthony D. DeGol, Hollidaysburg, Pa.

73

(a) David W. Pompey, Clarks Summit, Pa.

73

George J. Forster, Villanova, Pa.

73

Brian W. Bergstol, Mt. Bethel, Pa.

74

Tony R. Perla, Collegeville, Pa.

74

Russel Harbold, Mountville, Pa.

74

Mike Van Sickle, Wexford, Pa.

74

William J. Sautter, Warrington, Pa.

74

(a) Marc A. Mandel, Conshohocken, Pa.

74

(a) Greg Verde, Wayne, Pa.

74

Alexander D. Knoll, Bethlehem, Pa.

74

Christopher B. Hoyle, Drexel Hill, Pa.

74

(a) Daniel R. Bernard, Malvern, Pa.

74

Steven Kiefner, Bethlehem, Pa.

74

(a) Nicholas Reach, Moscow, Pa.

74

(a) Andy Gibbons, Lebanon, Pa.

74

(a) Gregor F. Meyer, Pittsburgh, Pa.

74

(a) Michael J. Vassil, Dalton, Pa.

75

Mike Dynda, Blue Bell, Pa.

75

Matthew J. Goudie, Conestoga, Pa.

75

(a) Travis J. Howe, Osceola, Pa.

75

(a) Jimmy Johnston, Wayne, Pa.

75

Andrew P. Dawes, Palmyra, Pa.

75

David Fields, Macungie, Pa.

75

(a) Michael G. Flickinger, Pittsburgh, Pa.

75

Tony Traci, Pittsburgh, Pa.

75

(a) Lance T Oberparleiter, Blenheim, Pa.

75

(a) Christopher Crawford, Bensalem, Pa.

75

(a) Kevin T. Haag, Hummelstown, Pa.

76

Robert Agresti, West Chester, Pa.

76

(a) Alexandre A. Belmont, Warminster, Pa.

76

Devin Gee, Oakmont, Pa.

76

(a) Gary E. Daniels, Berwyn, Pa.

76

(a) David L. Denlinger, Lancaster, Pa.

76

Corey J. Katzen, East Brunswick, Pa.

76

(a) Daniel R. Charen, Langhorne, Pa.

76

(a) Ronald DeNunzio, Jeannette, Pa.

76

(a) Brandon Hartranft, Lancaster, Pa.

76

(a) Chuck A. Nettles, McMurray, Pa.

76

(a) Craig S. Kliewer, Ephrata, Pa.

77

Adam Pifer, Telford, Pa.

77

(a) Ross Brown, Kingston, Pa.

77

(a) Greg Jarmas, Wynnewood, Pa.

77

(a) Steve V. Scarpetta, Moosic, Pa.

77

(a) Joe Corsi, Greensburg, Pa.

77

Bob Ford, Oakmont, Pa.

77

Tyler Brewington, Orangeville, Pa.

78

(a) Travis J. Gahman, Souderton, Pa.

78

(a) Marlin Detweiler, Akron, Pa.

78

Nolan Peterson, Aspers, Pa.

78

(a) Michael Domenick, Phoenixville, Pa.

78

(a) Jeffrey L Griest, Glen Mills, Pa.

78

(a) Arthur J. Kania, Jr., Haverford, Pa.

78

Butch Johnson, Glen Mills, Pa.

79

(a) Kevin P. Kelly, Horsham, Pa.

79

(a) John C. La Dow, Pottstown, Pa.

79

Mike Milewski, Paupack, Pa.

79

(a) Christopher W. Ault, Yardley, Pa.

80

(a) Peter J. Moran, Chester Springs, Pa.

80

(a) Jon D. Rudisill, Wyomissing, Pa.

80

(a) Robert Gill, Shavertown, Pa.

80

(a) James P. Bea, Churchville, Pa.

83

(a) Ryan Schneiter, Lebanon, Pa.

84

 

(a)-denotes amateur

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