Daniel Gaunt Leads Grey Goose Championship
Australian Daniel Gaunt set the early pace in the Grey Goose World Par 3 Championship after a 2-over-par 56 during the opening round at the Fairmont Southampton’s Turtle Hill Golf Club in Bermuda.
Battling gusty winds of more than 75 km/h, Gaunt’s scorecard featured four bogeys and a pair of birdies. The 39-year-old leads a bunched up leaderboard that includes Ed Maunder of the PGA of Canada, American Justin Regier, local favourite Anthony Mocklow and American Ryder Cup member Chip Beck.
“It was absolutely brutal out there and you all could do to stay alive was scramble,” Gaunt admitted about the conditions Friday at Turtle Hill. “It’s just so breezy out here that even if you’re around the greens you’ll be OK.”
Gaunt is a two-time winner on the European Challenge Tour and won in Bermuda this past December at the Gosling’s Invitational. He’s also a four-time champion on the PGA EuroPro Tour and played in the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry in Scotland.
“To be honest, I haven’t hit a golf ball in months,” Gaunt said. “It’s snowing back home and Bermuda has been good to me in the past, so I figured why not come out here and play.”
For the full leaderboard, here.
Maunder, who will play in the final group for the second time in three years, says he hopes to learn from his experiences in 2016. “Two years ago I felt the jitters and I didn’t sleep to well the night before the final round,” Maunder said. “So tonight I’m going to get a lot more sleep.”
Beck, who led after the first round of last year’s championship, said he’s playing well heading into Saturday’s final round. “I feel like I’m playing pretty well,” he said. “I had a bunch of opportunities out there today but didn’t really make a whole bunch of putts. These greens are tricky and when you add in all the wind, it’s just tough to hole it out.”
This year’s 36-hole championship, which takes place March 2-3, sees a number of talented golfers from across the globe compete for the title and their share of the $50,000 [USD] purse. In addition to the professionals in the championship, the field is rounded out by an impressive list of amateur golfers—from Bermuda, the United States, Canada and Europe—vying for titles in the men’s, women’s and senior amateur divisions.
Bermudian Jevon Roberts leads the men’s amateur division, with Anne O’Neill, also of Bermuda, leading the way in the women’s amateur division. Allen DeSilva of Bermuda leads the men’s senior division.
Players in this year’s Grey Goose World Par 3 Championship also have an opportunity to win $1-million [USD]. The competitors with the lowest gross scores in the professional, men’s amateur, men’s senior and women’s amateur divisions through the two championship rounds will qualify for the $1-Million Hole-in-One Shootout. One additional amateur qualifier will be determined by the closest-to-the-hole contest on the 18th hole during the final round of the championship.
Past champions of the Grey Goose World Par 3 Championship include Bermudian Daniel Augustus, PGA Tour winner Nick Taylor, PGA of Canada member Ian Doig, American Jordan Mitchell, Mark Mouland of the European Senior Tour, Thomas Curtis, Rafael Becker and last year’s winner Chris Ward.
To follow along with the Grey Goose World Par 3 Championship on social media, search the #worldpar3 hashtag.
