Goldstein takes First Round Lead at 41st Texas Mid-Amateur Presented by Hytera US
ARGYLE — Josh Goldstein of Austin surged to the top of the leaderboard after Round One of the 41st Texas Mid-Amateur presented by Hytera US. Goldstein shot a remarkable 66, 5 under par, to hold a one-shot lead heading into Round Two.
The event at Denton Country Club featured 132 of the top Texas Mid-Amateur golfers, including six former champions and numerous USGA Championship participants. Goldstein excelled in the first round, positioning himself well for the upcoming rounds.
“I haven’t had much practice time lately because of work, which I think is typical for a Mid-Amateur,” Goldstein said with a laugh. “I had low expectations and just tried to hit the best golf shots I could.”
Goldstein, who moved to Texas in January, is familiar with winning major championships as a mid-amateur. The Austin resident won the Nevada State Amateur and State Mid- Amateur in 2021 and the Nevada Mid-Amateur Match Play in 2022.
“I’ve always been a fairways-and-greens guy. It depends on whether the putter gets hot, and it did today,” Goldstein said.
Goldstein will aim to maintain his strong start in his first Texas Golf Association Major Championship.
Chasing Goldstein are Kendrick Vinar of Richardson and Rashid Salem of Westlake, who are tied for second after shooting 4-under 67. Both are well within striking distance heading into moving day.
Vinar, who finished tied for 20th in last year’s Texas Mid-Amateur, is focused on staying near the top as the weekend approaches.
“It was a really good round for me today. I had a clean card and didn’t make many mistakes,” Vinar said. “The course is in great shape, but it’s tight and the Bermuda rough is penal. Keeping the ball in play off the tee was key.”
Vinar, who teed off in the morning, faced calm conditions before the wind picked up, adding to the challenge of the tight course.
“You have to adjust, especially on the back nine where the wind picked up and was swirling,” Vinar said. “It’s tough out there, and even within the same group, the wind affects shots differently. Staying focused on the process is crucial.”
Salem is looking to build on his performance from last year’s Texas Mid-Amateur.
“It was a good start,” Salem said. “I didn’t get to see the back nine during my practice round, so starting off the back nine was interesting. I made four birdies but had a rough stretch on holes 10 and 11. I fought back well.”
Tied for fourth are Gant Bills of Plano and Zach Sams of Argyle, who both shot 3-under 68 despite challenging afternoon conditions as the wind picked up.
Sams, one of seven Denton Country Club members, was the lowest host club member in Round One.
“Playing in front of friends and people you know can be tough because of the expectations,” Sams said. “It’s good to start well. It would be amazing to keep playing well and have a shot at it at the end. There are a lot of good players here, so just being in the mix is great. If I keep hitting the ball well and making putts, we’ll see what happens.”
Tied for sixth are host club member Marcus Jones of Argyle, Robert Gwin of Montgomery, and 2024 Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play Champion Cal Clyde V of Houston. The trio carded 2-under 69s and remain in contention.
Nine players are tied for ninth after shooting 1-under 70, including 2023 Texas Player of the Year Zach Atkinson and 115th Texas Amateur top-five finisher Andrew Lawson.
In Round One of the 41st Texas Mid-Amateur presented by Hytera US, players started with calm winds and temperatures in the low 70s. As the day progressed, winds increased to 20 mph with gusts up to 32 mph.
The official yardage for Round One was 6,606 yards, with the toughest hole being No. 4, which had a stroke average of 4.67.
Round Two of the 41st Texas Mid-Amateur will begin at 8 a.m. from the first and 10th tees.
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