Golf: 4 players tie course record in first round of Metro Championship

Ben Cors was one of four players to shoot 63 in the first round of the Metro on Thursday at Windy Knoll in Springfield. RON ALVEY/CONTRIBUTED

Ben Cors was one of four players to shoot 63 in the first round of the Metro on Thursday at Windy Knoll in Springfield. RON ALVEY/CONTRIBUTED

The top amateur players in the Miami Valley descended on Windy Knoll Golf Club in Springfield on Thursday and attacked the course record.

Ben Cors, Mitchell Sargent, Jonathan Feldkamp and T.J. Kreusch each shot rounds of 8-under par 63 to tie the course’s competitive record and share the first-round lead of the Metro Championship. Each player made only one bogey.

Sargent, who will be a senior at Troy High School, hit the biggest shot of the day. He made a hole-in-one on No.3. In an interview posted on X by the Miami Valley Golf Association, Sargent said he didn’t hit a great shot. It landed short of the green, took a big hop and rolled in.

“It felt nice to have a quick comeback,” he said in reference to a bogey on No. 2.

Sargent, the youngest of the leaders, relied on an improved mental approach.

“In the spring I struggled because I was worrying a lot about what other people thought of my game and worrying about the scores,” he said. “And I learned I just got to hit one shot at a time and play golf to compete, not put up a score.”

Feldkamp, a former coach at Cincinnati La Salle High School, is the oldest player among the leaders. He eagled No. 12 and birdied 15 and 17 to finish strong.

“I just had to stay aggressive,” he told the MVGA. “The golf course was playing firm, fast, the greens were receptive. I just wanted to make sure I stayed consistent with my game plan to be aggressive all day. I figured the scores were going to be low.”

Cors, who just completed his senior season at Dayton, said he hit his drives straight and putted well.

“The biggest thing here is keeping it in play,” he told the MVGA. “The greens were rolling great, so putts were falling. When you shoot 8-under things are going pretty well.”

Kreusch, a former Alter player and future Flyer, birdied 14 through 17 in the afternoon to catch the others. He finished tied for second in the Ohio Amateur last week.

Brody Simms, another Alter grad, shot a 6-under 65 and is alone in fifth place.

The 72-hole tournament continues Friday and concludes Sunday.

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