Brinker Leads 44th Brick Capital Classic After Opening 67

Staff Report from WFJA Sports

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Brick Capital Scores – 1^st Round – Saturday, June 27 – Sanford Golf Club

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Championship Flight

Walter Brinker….67

Press McPhaul….68

Courtney Stiles….68

Alex Palme….68

Jonathan Hockaday….70

Simon Cagle….72

Bo Crooks…..72

Austin Stout….72

Craig Sturdivant….72

Jody Yarbrough….72

Gerald Harrington….73

Jim Love….73

Jack Radley…..73

Tony Fish….73

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First Flight

Chris Brown….74

Nathan Presnal….74

Dalton Mauldin….74

David Wicker….74

Brandon Jones….74

Matthew Honeycutt….74

Anthony Cicogna….75

Brad McDougald…..75

Kenny Stewart….75

Brad Wicker….75

Christopher Woodall….75

Chuck Smith ….76

Scotty Godwin…..76

Walter Brinker fired a 4-under par 67 to take the lead after the 1^st round of the 44^th Brick Capital Classic at Sanford Golf Club.    Brinker used a bogey free 3-under 32 on the front to start his round and moved to 5-under for the day after rolling in a putt from the fringe at #13.    Brinker missed an opportunity for birdie at 16 that would have taken him to 6-under and then followed with a pulled drive at #17 would eventually lead to a double bogey.   A tricky downhiller from 10 feet for birdie at the final hole finished off the 67.  

Brinker smashed his left thumb with a hammer on Wednesday and nearly withdrew after some practice on Thursday.   Things got better on Friday and Brinker was quite proud of his tape-wrapped thumb after shooting 67.  “The thumb felt a lot better today and I hit it good.   Hopefully, I can keep hitting it good tomorrow and give myself a shot at it.” Brinker has a handful of top 5 finishes in the Brick Capital and will be looking for his 1st BCC title tomorrow.

Brinker leads a trio of players by one shot heading into Sunday’s final round.   NC State Golf Coach Press McPhaul, Courtney Stiles, and Alex Palme all finished at 68 with Palme the only one of the three to play in the afternoon.     Jonathan Hockaday is the only other player under par after an opening 70.

McPhaul was the steadiest of the three 68s with his lone bogey at the 17^th and 4 birdies on the card.   McPhaul used 3 birdies in the middle of the round at 5, 9, and 10 to get comfortably under par and was able to finish the round with his final birdie from 6 feet at the 18^th.   McPhaul is a 3-time Brick Champion with the last one coming in 2008 and he could become a 3^rd player to reach 4 titles with a win after Sunday’s round.  “It would mean a lot to win another one, but I just need to go out tomorrow and play well and see what happens.”

Former NC State player Courtney Stiles bogeyed her first hole but rebounded with 5 birdies in a 10-hole stretch and finally carded a six (6) birdie – three (3) bogey 68.   Stiles, whose brother Jordan Pomeranz was a Brick Capital Champion in 2002, manages the First Tee – Pinehurst and only entered last week after finding out her brother Jordan was coming into town to play.  “I hit the ball good today but had two 3-putts late that hurt a little.”    It was her 1^st trip around Sanford Golf Club in nearly 20 years and she will start in the final pairing tomorrow on Brick Sunday.

Palme, a professional soccer player on break because of COVID-19, birdied his final two holes of the day at #8 and #9 to post a 68 late in the day.   A Mebane resident, Palme started on the back nine and had nines of 36-32 in posting his lowest score in the Brick Capital Classic.     

Jonathan Hockaday will start 3 shots back after a one-under par 70.   Hockaday, the reigning Quail Ridge Classic Champion and 2017 Lee County Am winner, had 3 birdies and 2 bogeys in a steady round that included only one made putt over 6 feet.   “I was pleased with the way I hit the ball today but just didn’t get much done on the greens.   But I’m still in the tournament and I’ll have to make some putts tomorrow.”

Ray Epley knocked in a birdie from just off the green at the 18^th and carded a opening round 70 to lead the Senior Division.   Epley leads Chuck Latham and James Doyle by 5 shots.

The final pairing in tomorrow’s 2^nd round will tee off at 1:30.    WFJA Sports will air updates at 12:18, 12:51, 1:15, 1:45, 2:15, 2:45, 3:15, 3:45, 4:15, 4:45, 5:15., 5:45 & a wrap-up just after 6 pm.