Ferguson Shoots 66 at Monroe

June 16, 2005

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – No. 3 ranked US Amateur player and Indiana University senior Jeff Overton wasted little time in showing he can tame the par-70 6,787-yard Donald Ross designed Monroe Golf Club by firing an opening round 6-under-par 64 to secure a two-stroke advantage over four players tied at 66.

Overton, a second-team GCAA/Ping All-American and recent Palmer Cup team member, was in the fourth group to tee off in the morning and started quickly with birdies on four of the first five holes on the par-4 Nos. 10 & 11, par-5 12th and par-4 14th. He bogeyed two of the last four holes to make the turn at 3-under-par. He opened his second nine with a bogey on No. 1, but then played mistake-free golf birdying four of the final eight holes to end the day with a 64.

Four players including 2004 Sunnehanna Amateur Champion Jack Ferguson (Clemson), Andrew Dodt (Australia), Will Claxton (Auburn) and Mark Leon (Penn State) trail Overton by two strokes after opening with 66s.

In one of the largest fields in MIC history with 69 players, 17 players fired sub-par rounds while more than half of the field (36 players) are 1-over-par or better (17 sub-par, five even-par and 14 1-over-par).

2004 MIC Champion Kyle Reifers (Wake Forest), Rochester natives Andrew DiBitetto (Charlotte) and Chris Agostinelli (Niagara), Stuart Moore (Auburn) and Brian Duncan (Clemson) are all within close striking distance after posting even-par 70s in the first round.

Other local players in the event include Honeoye’s Scott Harris (MCC) who registered a 72, Brighton’s Blake Gianniny (Hofstra) posted a 73, Waterloo’s Michael Stackus (St. John Fisher) and Fairport’s Adam Condello (Old Dominion) recorded 77s and Rochester’s Tony DiBitetto (UNC-Wilmington) finished with an 82.

The tournament, which is open to the public free of charge, features four rounds of stroke play with no cut. The second round begins at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday morning.