Round one results of the 31st Louisiana Mid-Amateur Championship at Oakbourne Country Club in Lafayette, Louisiana on Friday, August 11th, 2023.
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140 players competed in round one of the 31st Louisiana Mid-Amateur Championship. Tee times for the morning wave began at 7:30 AM off the 1st and 10th tee. The afternoon wave began 12:00 PM off the 1st and 10th tee. The final group finished right on time at 5:15 PM. The course played to a par 72 at 6,866 yards.
Defending Champion Greg Berthelot of Baton Rouge fired a six-under par 66 on Friday in the first round of the 31st Louisiana Mid-Amateur Championship presented by Francis Ford Coppola Wines. Berthelot’s stellar round gives him a two-shot lead over Jeremy Gautreaux of Prairieville through 18 holes. Berthelot started at 8:51 AM and wasted no time getting to red figures with a birdie at the par 4 1st hole. He bogeyed the par 4 2nd hole but quickly bounced back with an incredible eagle at the par 5 3rd hole (553 yards). He hit driver off the tee and then had 230 yards into the green, and his second shot landed on the front section of the green. The hole location was on the top right shelf, and Berthelot drained a 60-foot putt up the hill for the eagle. It just so happens that eagle earned him $1,820 in the skins game. Berthelot made three consecutive pars followed by three birdies in a row on holes 7, 8, and 9, making the turn in 31. Berthelot had a par-birdie-bogey start to his back nine. He made a par on the 13th hole and then carded his 6th birdie of the day on the 14th hole. Berthelot played solid down the stretch and made a par on the final four holes to shoot one-under par on the inward nine.
There was a total of nine scores under par on Friday. Todd McPherson of New Orleans shot the only bogey-free round with a smooth 69, carding birdies on holes 1, 11, and 18. Also finishing under par in the first round were: Robbie Rhodes of Slidell (70), Rod Baronet of Lecompte (71), Chuck Spears of Alexandria (71), Oakbourne CC member Billy Guilbeaux of Lafayette (71), 2009 Louisiana Mid-Amateur Champion Matt Nicholas of Lake Charles (71), and Mark Bienvenu of Baton Rogue (71).
Oakbourne Country Club played to a par 72 at approximately 6,900 yards on Friday. Superintendent Jason Barras and his crew have the course in superb condition, and it drew rave reviews from this field of the best amateur golfers in Louisiana ages 21 and over.
The dogleg right par 4 18th hole was the number one most difficult ranked on Friday, with a scoring average 5.02.
Starting Times will begin again at 7:30 a.m., off both #1 and #10 tees on Saturday. The field will be cut to the low 60 scorers and ties following 36 holes for Sunday’s final round.