Pressure-free golfer contending at tourney
His buddies would look at the scorecard and tell Knox Jones he needed to get back in competition.
“They figure since I can play the weekends, I can still play competitive golf, and that’s just not the case,” Jones said.
The 48-year-old Lincoln businessman proved himself wrong when he posted a first-round score of 1-under-par 71 Tuesday in the State Amateur Golf Tournament at the Country Club of Lincoln.
Jones is tied for fourth, one stroke behind leaders.
Tied for the lead at 2-under-par 70, were David Easley, a Lincoln bank marketer; Jayson Brueggemann, an athletic trainer at Nebraska Orthopaedic; and Blake Giroux, a Creighton Prep grad now playing at Kansas.
“I pretty much gave up competitive golf after 2002 because I was just done with it,” said Jones. “It wasn’t fun any more.”
Five years ago, Jones was one of the best amateurs in the state. He won the state title in 2001, finished second in 2002, won the state match-play titles in 1979, 1994 and 2000, and was always in contention in most state tourneys.
He played in the 100th anniversary of the state amateur at Omaha Country Club in 2005, but other than the annual four-ball tournament, he plays for fun.
“And I’ve been happy,” he said.
But Country Club of Lincoln pro Dave Malone talked Jones, a longtime member, into representing the club in this year’s tournament.
Jones played in a couple of amateur contests as tuneups — a total of three rounds to prep for this year’s championship.
“Anybody watching me today would say I was pretty lucky,” Jones said. “It was not pretty by any standard. I didn’t hit the ball well. But I made a 20-foot putt on No. 7, made a 1-foot putt for birdie on No. 8, and pieced together a round. It could just as easily become a 76 or 77.”
As for the final three rounds of the tournament, Jones said he had no pressure.
“Kind of like Greg Norman at the British Open last week — visit with old friends, play some golf, have some fun and no high expectations,” Jones said. “I’m just along for the ride.”
Easley, an assistant coach at Nebraska Wesleyan, was much more confident.
Playing early in the day, Easley, 29, jumped into the lead with an eagle three on the par-5 17th hole. He lipped out an eagle putt on the par-4 No. 2 hole (his back nine).
“I was solid tee to green, which makes all the difference here,” Easley said. “I was able to relax because I grew up playing this course, and that helped take some fear away.
“This course is another world, with the out-of-bounds, the rough, the 5-footers that can zip by the hole,” he said. “I avoided the deep rough around the greens (now more than 4 inches deep) and kept out of tree trouble. Tree trouble is possible on every hole.”
Brandon Crick of McCook, who won the tournament last year and took the state match-play title earlier this summer, is tied for sixth. O’Neill native, 2007 state match-play champion and Texas A&M standout John Hurley also shot even par.
Brueggemann, who is working at the North Shrine Bowl football team camp this week at Nebraska Wesleyan, said making “ridiculous” putts of 35 feet on his first hole at No. 10 and 50-feet on No. 6 propelled his round that tied him for the lead.
“It was a roller coaster — birdie here, bogey there and still a good score,” he said. Brueggemann posted just four pars to go with eight birdies on his round.
The field of 144 golfers will be cut in half after Wednesday's round.
Reach Ken Hambleton at 473-7313 or khambleton@journalstar.com.
“They figure since I can play the weekends, I can still play competitive golf, and that’s just not the case,” Jones said.
The 48-year-old Lincoln businessman proved himself wrong when he posted a first-round score of 1-under-par 71 Tuesday in the State Amateur Golf Tournament at the Country Club of Lincoln.
Jones is tied for fourth, one stroke behind leaders.
Tied for the lead at 2-under-par 70, were David Easley, a Lincoln bank marketer; Jayson Brueggemann, an athletic trainer at Nebraska Orthopaedic; and Blake Giroux, a Creighton Prep grad now playing at Kansas.
“I pretty much gave up competitive golf after 2002 because I was just done with it,” said Jones. “It wasn’t fun any more.”
Five years ago, Jones was one of the best amateurs in the state. He won the state title in 2001, finished second in 2002, won the state match-play titles in 1979, 1994 and 2000, and was always in contention in most state tourneys.
He played in the 100th anniversary of the state amateur at Omaha Country Club in 2005, but other than the annual four-ball tournament, he plays for fun.
“And I’ve been happy,” he said.
But Country Club of Lincoln pro Dave Malone talked Jones, a longtime member, into representing the club in this year’s tournament.
Jones played in a couple of amateur contests as tuneups — a total of three rounds to prep for this year’s championship.
“Anybody watching me today would say I was pretty lucky,” Jones said. “It was not pretty by any standard. I didn’t hit the ball well. But I made a 20-foot putt on No. 7, made a 1-foot putt for birdie on No. 8, and pieced together a round. It could just as easily become a 76 or 77.”
As for the final three rounds of the tournament, Jones said he had no pressure.
“Kind of like Greg Norman at the British Open last week — visit with old friends, play some golf, have some fun and no high expectations,” Jones said. “I’m just along for the ride.”
Easley, an assistant coach at Nebraska Wesleyan, was much more confident.
Playing early in the day, Easley, 29, jumped into the lead with an eagle three on the par-5 17th hole. He lipped out an eagle putt on the par-4 No. 2 hole (his back nine).
“I was solid tee to green, which makes all the difference here,” Easley said. “I was able to relax because I grew up playing this course, and that helped take some fear away.
“This course is another world, with the out-of-bounds, the rough, the 5-footers that can zip by the hole,” he said. “I avoided the deep rough around the greens (now more than 4 inches deep) and kept out of tree trouble. Tree trouble is possible on every hole.”
Brandon Crick of McCook, who won the tournament last year and took the state match-play title earlier this summer, is tied for sixth. O’Neill native, 2007 state match-play champion and Texas A&M standout John Hurley also shot even par.
Brueggemann, who is working at the North Shrine Bowl football team camp this week at Nebraska Wesleyan, said making “ridiculous” putts of 35 feet on his first hole at No. 10 and 50-feet on No. 6 propelled his round that tied him for the lead.
“It was a roller coaster — birdie here, bogey there and still a good score,” he said. Brueggemann posted just four pars to go with eight birdies on his round.
The field of 144 golfers will be cut in half after Wednesday's round.
Reach Ken Hambleton at 473-7313 or khambleton@journalstar.com.
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