After troublesome weather wreaked havoc on the opening day of the prestigious Jones Cup at Ocean Forest Golf Club in Florida, play finally resumed on Saturday and the first round was completed though the thick fog that was the main reason for the further delay on Saturday meant that tournament organisers were forced to reduce the event to 36 holes from the originally planned 54.
Gavin Tiernan, at one-over-par, is best of the Irish in a tie for 27th, while fellow Walker Cup star Stuart Grehan is two shots further adrift at +3.
It was a mixed round for 2025 Amateur Championship runner-up Tiernan, who recorded three bogeys on the heavily disrupted front nine, but bounced back with four birdies in a six-hole stretch to start the back nine and get himself to the fringes of the top 10.
Unfortunately, a double bogey on the last dropped him back into an eventual share of 27th and he’s seven behind leader Grayson Wood who enjoys a one-stroke lead over fellow American Tom Fischer.
Grehan opened hi birdie account on the sixth but then bogeyed four of the next five holes to fall down the leaderboard, and though he picked up another shot on the 12th, a disappointing ‘six’ on the par-5 14th dropped him back to +3.
Though chances of victory have likely gone, each event between now and Walker Cup selections are made is hugely important so there is still lots to play for in Sunday’s final round.
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