Happy birthday, Tommy Morrison.
This was a great start for the current 21-year-old Morrison, a senior Texas senior who opened on Monday at a 4-under 66 on the Olympic Club’s Ocean Course in the first round of stroke play in 2025. With four birdies and a clean card, Morrison is tied with Charlie Forster after his opening day in the Bay Area.
“I think my process with all the shots and the lines I took was really pretty,” Morrison said. “I felt ready to sort 100% 100% while I was over the ball. Obviously, you should always be – but that was a big focus for me today. I think I did a great job of it.”
He is trying to secure a spot for the US Walker Cup team, so the start was crucial for Morrison, who ranked sixth in the world. With five spots still up, US amateurs offer a final chance to showcase why players belong to the team and Captain Nathan Smith and the Select Committee.
Only 20 golfers on the standard 312 fields on the Olympic Club’s Ocean Course and the opening round Lake Course were co-hosts on the Ocean Course, Stroke Play, and performed half shots easily. Of the 10 players within two shots of the lead after the opening round, only two played the Lake course on Monday.
After the opening round, there are 101 players above the T-64. This is the cutoff for the match. After Tuesday’s second round, the field will be cut to 64 players and there will be playoffs where the match play bracket is completed if necessary. Matchplay begins on the Lake Course on Wednesday.
World No. 1 amateur Jackson Kovrung opened at 2 under 68 on the Ocean Course.
Some of the people who have work to do to make the cut include Olympic Club member Jacob Good (3 over), No. 3 Ethan Fan (3 over), Elite Amateur Golf Series winner Tyler Watts (5 over), and NCAA individual champion Michael Lasasso (8 over).
