How They're Doing: Minnesotans on Pro Tour Money Lists -- Jan 6
January 6, 2025
CHASKA, Minn. – Looking to advance to match play at the U.S. Amateur for a second consecutive season, University of Virginia golfer Paul Chang took the first step Monday, firing a 6-under 64 at Chaska Town Course to share the opening-round lead with Ole Miss junior Tom Fischer to open the 2024 championship.
Helped by an eagle at the 17th and a birdie on his final hole, Chang moved to the top of the leaderboard with Fischer, who went bogey-free during his U.S. Amateur debut.
“I hit it really well today, hit my irons really well,” said Chang, who will head to Hazeltine National Golf Club for his second round Tuesday. “I putted pretty decently, that’s how I made my birdies. The driver wasn’t working until 16, and I didn’t chip too much today—three birdies, one eagle.
“Coming into this event, I definitely feel a little different. Last year, I didn’t feel like I belonged here at all—I was just testing the waters. I really want to give it a good run this year.”
Chang advanced to the Round of 16 at last year’s championship at Cherry Hills Country Club in Colorado before falling to eventual semifinalist John Marshall Butler.
This year, Chang enters the week with a top-10 finish at the Northeast Amateur at Wannamoisett Country Club in Rhode Island to his credit.
On Monday, Chang carded three birdies during his opening nine before back-to-back birdies at the 11th and 12th to reach 5-under for his round.
A bogey at the 13th followed by another at the 15th put Chang back at 3-under, but he’d bounce back quickly by driving the 318-yard 16th green and dropping his eagle putt from 40 feet.
A birdie at the 17th would put the Cavalier senior in a share of the lead with Fischer at 6-under 66.
Starting on the back nine at Chaska Monday, Fischer rolled in a birdie chance at the 13th before carding three straight birdies beginning at the 16th to reach 4-under for his opening round.
Following eight consecutive pars during his inward nine, Fischer eagled his final hole of the day to join Chang atop the leaderboard with a 66.
Chang and Fischer will take a two-stroke advantage over a total of eight players to Tuesday’s second round of stroke play before the top 64 players advance to the match play portion of the championship.
Former University of Minnesota golfer and recent Sunnehanna Amateur champion Ben Warian tallied a pair of late birdies Monday at Chaska Town Course to post an opening-round 69 to finish the first round of play in a share of 49th to lead the Minnesota contingent.
Jacques Wilson, winner of the 2017 Minnesota Golf Association Players’ Championship, also got a boost from back-to-back birdies late in his round Monday at Hazeltine to finish at even par. He will begin his second round tied for 83rd.
“I made it a lot more interesting than I needed to,” Wilson said following his opening round Monday. “I made five birdies, which showcases that it is out there. At the same time, I missed five greens and made five bogeys.
“Any time you miss a green out here, it’s almost an instant bogey. It puts a premium on being in the fairway. The greens were fast, and I never felt like I could be really aggressive because I was above the hole. A lot of good looks from 10 to 15 feet."
Wilson, a former Charleston Southern University golfer and Chaska, Minn., native, carded a pair of early birdies to begin his round Monday before turning in even par with bogeys at his fifth and seventh holes.
Sitting at 1-over through 14 holes, Wilson converted a birdie chance from eight feet at the par-4 sixth before getting up-and-down from a greenside bunker at the seventh for his fifth birdie of the round to reach 1-under for the day. A bogey at the par-3 eighth put the 29-year-old Wilson in the clubhouse at even par 72.
A former Minnetonka High School golfer, Wilson returns to familiar surroundings at his home course at Chaska Town Course for his second round Tuesday.
“I’ve hit every golf shot imaginable on that course,” Wilson said. “During the practice round, we didn’t spend 10 minutes on each hole chipping and putting because we know where everything is.
“It’ll be a little breezier tomorrow, and the good thing is we’re out there early. In the afternoon, the greens can get a little bumpier there, but I’m excited to get out in the morning and play aggressively and hopefully post a good score.”
Winner of the Minnesota Junior PGA Tournament of Champions and a pair of Resorters Tournaments, Wilson’s biggest state win came in 2017, defeating Justin Burleson at The Jewel Golf Club to claim the MGA Players’ Championship.
In 2018, a string of bogeys late on his opening nine derailed Wilson’s chances at the MGA Amateur at Hazeltine, where he’d go on to finish second, four shots back of Van Holmgren.
The 124th U.S. Amateur resumes Tuesday with the final round of stroke play beginning at 7 a.m. at Hazeltine National Golf Club and Chaska Town Course.
THE 124TH U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
HAZELTINE NATIONAL GOLF CLUB
CHASKA, MINN
7,548 YARDS, PAR 72
CHASKA TOWN COURSE
CHASKA, MINN.
6,851 YARDS, PAR 70
MONDAY’S FIRST ROUND STROKE PLAY RESULTS
T1. Paul Chang, China, 32-32—64 (CTC)
T1. Tom Fischer, Birmingham, Ala., 33-31—64 (CTC)
T3. Cooper Claycomb, Bowling Green, Ky., 32-34—70 (CTC)
T3. Evan Beck, Virginia Beach, Va., 34-32—66 (CTC)
T3. Caden Fioroni, San Diego, Calif., 32-34—66 (CTC)
T3. Tyson Shelley, Salt Lake City, Utah, 31-35—66 (CTC)
T3. Matthew Manganello, Las Vegas, Nev., 31-35—66 (CTC)
T3. Michael Alexander Mjaaseth, Norway, 32-34—66 (CTC)
T3. Preston Stout, Dallas, Texas, 32-34—66 (CTC)
T3. Taehoon Song, Korea, 30-36—66 (CTC)
T49. BEN WARIAN, STILLWATER, MINN., 33-36—69 (CTC)
T83. JACQUES WILSON, CHASKA, MINN., 36-36—72 (HNGC)
T141. GUNNAR BROIN, SHOREWOOD, MINN., 39-35—74 (HNGC)
T167. JACOB PEDERSEN, SHOREWOOD, MINN., 35-35—70 (CTC)
T196. SAM UDOVICH, INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, MINN., 36-38—74 (CTC)
T289. JOSH PERSONS, UNIV. OF MINN., 39-42—81 (HNGC)
T304. NATE DEZIEL, EAST GRAND FORKS, MINN., 42-42—84 (HNGC)
HNGC – Hazeltine National Golf Club
CTC – Chaska Town Course
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January 6, 2025
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