It wasn’t the rounds that Luke Schneider and Tyler Wilks had hoped for in Tuesday’s opening round of the Circle K Junior Championship Hosted by Otter Creek.
Schneider finished with a 6-over-par 78 and is tied for 34th, and Wilks finished with a 9-over 81 and is tied for 41st.
Camden Smith of Windermere, Florida, and Shoji Fujita of Carmel share the opening round lead after each shot 3-under 69.
Schneider, who will be a senior at Columbus North, and Wilks, who will be a junior at North, both started their round on hole 10. Schneider finished with 12 pars and six bogeys, and Wilks finished with 10 pars, seven bogeys and a double-bogey.
Schneider said he was pleased with his round, despite a few bad holes.
“My putter wasn’t working for me today,” Schneider said. “I missed some putts, but overall, I’m not that upset. On holes 1 and 2, I bogeyed from within 110 yards with a wedge, which I rarely do. On the back nine, I made two silly mistakes in a row, but other than that, I was probably even on the day without those mistakes.”
Wilks said his putting kept him from posting high numbers on the course.
“I got putts to start dropping early, and they were good par saves. My short game was on point,” Wilks said. “My long irons and ball striking were not good today. It just didn’t work out.”
Schneider mentioned he is optimistic about his chances going forward for the tournament’s final two days.
“I’m excited for (today),” Schneider said. “The course is scoreable. I can make a bunch of birdies and see if I can get myself back in this.”
Regardless of their scores, Wilks and Schneider both enjoy the atmosphere and experience of playing in the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) event.
“You can tell that these kids are really good,” Wilks said. “I didn’t compare myself to the field, I wanted to see how their game is and see how I can get better myself.”
Schneider added, “It’s cool. I wish I’d got around to play this course more. It’s a home course. It’s good for both of us getting a lot of experience. I know it’s going to a long grind and a long battle this week.”
For today’s second round, Wilks tees off at 8 a.m. on No. 1, and Schneider tees off less than an hour later at 8:50 a.m. on No. 1. The final round is Thursday morning.
