Will Kropp Takes First Round Lead in 2008 Western Amateur

BENTON HARBOR - Will Kropp, a University of Georgia freshman, carded a 4-under-par 66 Wednesday morning in his first competitive round at Point O’Woods Golf & Country Club to take the first-round lead in the 2008 Western Amateur.

Judson “Jude” Eustaquio, a native of the Philippines, was one stroke back at 67 followed by a crowd of 10 who were another shot back at 68.

“I had a good feeling starting the day, but you never know,” said Kropp, 18, of Edmond, Okla. “I drove the ball really well and hit most of the fairways, and I hit my irons well. Once I started to get the feel of the greens … I made some putts.”

Kropp, who started his round on the back nine, birdied the par 4, 398-yard 10th before bogeying the 11th and 12th.

“I tried to stay patient, and it seemed to work out pretty well,” he said.

Back-to-back birdies on two tough par fours, the 447-yard sixth and the 460-yard seventh, vaulted Kropp to the top of the leaderboard.

Playing in his first Western Amateur, Kropp enjoyed the pristine conditions at Point O’Woods.

“The course is great,” he said. “It’s in great condition, and the greens are really good. It was fun. We’ll see how the rest of the week goes. Tomorrow, I’m just going to go out like it’s the first round again.”

Kropp helped lead Edmond North High School to four straight Oklahoma 6A championships. A 2006 and 2007 American Junior Golf Association honorable mention All-American, he placed second in the 2008 Thunderbird International Junior and reached the semifinals of the 2007 Polo Junior Classic. He went 4-0 in the 2007 Canon Cup matches and won the 2007 OSSO Junior title. He also won the 2006 AJGA Wildcat Classic.

Eustaquio, 20, of Lake Worth, Fla., came to the United States five years ago from his hometown of Tay Tay, in the Philippines, as an exchange student at West Palm Beach High School. Showing promise as a junior golfer, he and his parents decided he should stay.

“There’s no future in golf in my country, so my parents figured it would be best for me to move here and play here,” said Eustaquio, who has returned home to visit just twice in the past five years.

At Point O’Woods on Wednesday, Eustaquio displayed the skills that suggest he could have a bright future in golf in the United States.

“I got off to a really hot start. I hit my irons really good and putted beautifully,” he said of his 3-under-par round.

Earlier this month, Eustaquio won the Eastern Amateur. He also won the 2008 Florida State Amateur and finished second, losing in a playoff, in the Southern Amateur. A sophomore at Florida Southern University, he was a 2008 NCAA Division II All-American and Freshman Player of the Year, finishing second at the Division II Championship. He also was first-team All-Sunshine State Conference.

The nation’s top-ranked amateur, Rickie Fowler, 19, of Murrieta, Calif., opened with a front nine 32 and followed with a 37 on the back nine for a 1-under-par 69. Fowler led the stroke play in the 2007 Western Amateur until falling to third with a final round 75.

Although he felt “a little disappointment” with his struggles on the closing holes today, Fowler – the 2006 Western Junior champion – said he played well.

“Today was a good day,” said Fowler, the 2008 Ben Hogan Award recipient as the nation’s top collegiate golfer. “I hit some irons close but missed a few putts.

“I’d just like to play consistently,” he said, reviewing his goals for the week. “I’d like to go out and win stroke play, but the big thing here is to get to the Sweet 16 (match play). Hopefully, I’ll be playing on the weekend.”

Fowler, who will be a sophomore at Oklahoma State University this fall, qualified for the 2008 U.S. Open, making the cut and finishing tied for 60th.

Notes: Will Kropp’s opening round 66 came in his first competitive round at Point O’Woods, but his father, Brad Kropp, could have given him some playing tips. Brad played in the 1983 Western Amateur, also at Point O’Woods. His nearby neighbor in Edmond – and former high school teammate at Edmond North H.S. – Kevin Tway also is in the field, playing in his second Western Amateur. Tway is the son of PGA TOUR professional Bob Tway. Wilson Bowen, tied for third at 68, plays much of his golf at Conway Farms Golf Club in nearby Lake Forest, Illinois, where his father is a member. Conway Farms will host the 2009 Western Amateur.