Smith’s 68 Leads Morris Williams Spring Mid-Am

Wayne Smith knocked in his second shot on the first hole for an eagle and that set the stage for a first round 68 in the Morris Williams Spring Mid-Am Tournament.  He combined four birdies and two bogies with his eagle to overcome the early morning cool, windy conditions and post his four under total.

In a late afternoon phone interview, Smith, who had gone home and  taken a well deserved nap, indicated that he played a solid round that included good ball striking and 26 putts.  Not bad for someone who is technically classified as a senior golfer, still working full time and playing golf only on the weekends. It could be that his previous golfing experience as Austin Men's City Champion, Bluebonnet Cup Champion and winner of numerous local tournaments is serving him well.

Smith indicated that in December 2012 he decided to stop "tinkering" with his swing and just play within himself.  The knowledge that his good short game would compensate for any shortcomings in the ball striking category has seen him playing well through the early part of the 2013 season.

As for the rest of the field, Robert Evans and Paul Moore were the only other players that managed to shoot under par on the re-designed Morris Williams Golf Course.  Jeff Shell, Paul Canas, and Robert Sherman were the only players that managed to match even par 72.  The rest of the field shot over par.  There was one 73, two 74's and 18 players that shot 75.  So there a number of players poised to move up the leaderboard on Sunday.

Players who teed off early Saturday bore the brunt of the windy, cool conditions which abated about 11:30 a.m. Players with later tee times played in more benign conditions with temperatures rising into the upper 70's by late afternoon.  Oddly enough,  the best scores were generally posted early in the more difficult conditions.

Conditions on Sunday are expected to be cool and windy with clear skies and a north wind.  Pin posiitons will also be a factor as they will tend to be more difficult on the final day of the competition. Anyone who manages to post a low score Sunday can expect to move up on the leaderboard.

Below are the 1st round scores and Sunday Tee times.