Denver, CO. - Of the fifty-nine players that made yesterday's cut, twenty-two are within three shots of the lead. While the course played just one half a stroke over par, very few went low creating the logjam at the top. Four players will sleep on the lead at 8-under-par, three are one shot back and seven players within two.
Ben Warian shot the low round of the day, 6 under (64), that vaulted him up to the top of the leaderboard. Warian’s six birdies and no bogeys made for a clean card for the Minnesota golfer. Connor Gaunt, coming off a win at the Arkansas Amateur, fired 2 under (68) to join the group of leaders. Gaunt stated “I think the big story all week is my putter has been good, made some momentum putts 10 feet and in for par, making them when I needed to. I have driven the ball good and plan to leave it all out there tomorrow.”
Jeffrey Guan backed up his record tying (63) yesterday, in which he hit all 18 greens, with a 67 today and William Mouw kept up his consistent play with another 2 under round to be part of the group at the top of the leaderboard. Like most players, Mouw commented that, “Patience was key for me today, I got off to a slow start, stayed with my game plan, and really my patience came through for me today.”
The group one shot back include: Jiri Zuska, of the Czech Republic, David Timmins, the leader after the first two rounds and Kevin Huff who fired 5 under (65) today. Seven players sit two shots back at 6-under-par for the tournament.
Eight players are three back including 2021 Champions Dereck Hitchner and Tyson Shelley whose 4 under (66) put him in position to vie with the host of players for the title.
Gary Potter, TMGA Director, and host club co-chair, stated “Tomorrow will be a great day of exciting golf. The course should present a stern challenge and identify a worthy champion.”
Denver Country Club has been a wonderful host for the championship with a membership that has backed the event at every level. While the course may not be long for these players, it requires solid positioning off the tee and solid putting to navigate the undulating greens.
Tournament Leaderboard & Pairings
ABOUT TRANS-MISS GOLF ASSOCIATION: The Trans-Mississippi Golf Association is one of the oldest and most prestigious golf organizations in the United States. Established in 1901, the Trans-Mississippi is composed of over 300 member clubs located throughout the country. The Association is governed by a board of independent directors and is headquartered in Dallas, TX.
Our mission is to:
- Promote and advance the true spirit of amateur golf by cultivating fellowship, harmony, friendly competition, and cooperation among members of the association.
- Conduct four annual tournaments – the Trans-Mississippi Amateur, a summer competition inaugurated in 1901, the Trans-Mississippi Senior & Mid-Master Championship which began in 2000, the Trans-Mississippi Four-Ball which began in 1981 and the Trans-Mississippi Junior-Senior which was added to the schedule in 2021. All four championships rotate annually among the nation’s finest golf courses.
- Cultivate and promote our Turf Scholarship Fund, which provides interns to our member clubs agronomy staff. These internships provide a hands-on learning experience for students preparing to enter the golf course agronomy field at some of the country’s best facilities with top-flight superintendents. Clubs gain the benefit of additional assistance and teaching potential new staff with funding provided by the Trans-Mississippi Turf Scholarship Fund.
ABOUT ELITE AMATEUR SERIES: The Elite Amateur Series of seven top ranked amateur championships across the country. The seven events include the Sunnehanna Amateur, Northeast Am, North & South Amateur, Trans-Miss Amateur, Southern Amateur, Pacific Coast Amateur and the Western Amateur. The Trans-Miss Amateur is part of the new Elite Amateur Golf Series which kicked of this summer. Top players from the series will earn PGA Tour starts, Korn Ferry Tour starts and exemptions into the US Amateur and into the finals of US Open qualifiers in 2023.
- Trans-Mississippi Golf Association -