Stamper fires round of the championship to take three-shot lead at Indian Hills.

BOWLING GREEN, KY (June 15, 2022) – Tennessee institutions were represented well after the first round of the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Kentucky Amateur on Tuesday when Belmont’s Evan Davis and Vanderbilt’s Jansen Preston shared the lead, but Owen Stamper made sure he got Middle Tennessee State involved too. The junior-to-be at MTSU originally from Scottsville carded the round of the tournament thus far with 64 (-7) in Wednesday’s second round to take the lead entering the final round of the championship.

Starting the day at -3 and tied for sixth, Stamper was all systems go as soon as he got to the 10^th tee to begin his round. Three birdies in his first six holes helped him shoot 33 (-3) on his first nine holes, but the performance went up a notch when he holed out for eagle on the par-four 1^st. Two more birdies followed the rest of the way with no bogeys inflicting any late damage, and as a result he now leads by three strokes going into Thursday.

“I’ve been hitting my driver really well and getting myself in the spots I need to be off the tee,” Stamper explained. “I made a conscious effort going into today’s round to not give any shots back. It’s weird though, I feel like I haven’t been putting that well so far, but I am managing the course well. This leaderboard seems like something we had several years ago in the KHSAA State Championship though. So many guys in or around my high school graduating class are right there, and I know any of them are capable of going low on any given day. It would mean a lot to win this week since this is basically a home game for me, so I’ll come out here on Thursday and do everything I can to win.”

Stamper’s closest pursuer is first round co-leader Evan Davis. A round of 69 (-2) on Tuesday puts him at 135 (-7) for the championship and within striking distance of the leader. A crowded group at 136 (-6) follows him in a tie for third place, which features Jackson Finney, Campbell Kremer, Matthew Troutman, and the other first round co-leader, Jansen Preston. By virtue of being the first of those players to finish, Finney will have the honor of rounding out the final threesome in the final round and will join Stamper and Davis at 10:00 a.m. CDT on the 1^st tee on Thursday.

NOTES & STATS

• The top 70 players and ties made the cut and will play in Thursday’s final round. 77 players are at 148 (+6) or better, which was the mark needed to advance to the third competition day.
• Ten eagles were made in round two, which is two more than what was made in the opening round. Stamper’s eagle on the 1^st was one of four made on a par-four. The 7^th, 11^th and 17^th also had an eagle apiece while the par-five 10^th surrendered five.
• For the second consecutive day, the 10^th was the easiest hole of the day. Today, its stroke-to-par average was -0.25, almost the same exact mark it had on Tuesday.
• The closing par-four 18^th was the hardest hole of the round at +0.47. It had the most bogeys or worse with 61.
• The scoring average dropped nearly a full stroke on Wednesday compared to Tuesday. 73.80 (+2.80) was Wednesday’s average score after 74.75 (+3.75) in the opening round.

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Golf House Kentucky will continue to have full coverage of the championship on its Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages. When the final group reaches the 18th hole in Thursday's final round, a live-stream will be available to view on Facebook. Should a playoff be necessary, that will also be live-streamed.

About the Kentucky Golf Association:
The Kentucky Golf Association (KGA) is one of the three organizations encompassed under Golf House Kentucky, in addition to the Kentucky Golf Foundation (KGF) and Kentucky PGA Section (KPGA). The Kentucky Golf Association represents the amateur body of Kentucky’s golfers working in assistance with the United States Golf Association (USGA). The KGA provides a wide range of services, including handicapping, USGA course and slope ratings, and tournament management software to its Member Clubs. The KGA also operates the state’s premier amateur tournaments along with USGA National Championship qualifiers. Alongside the KGF and KPGA, the KGA strives to promote the benefits and enjoyment of golf while continuing to grow the sport across the Commonwealth.

Media Contact:
Ethan Fisher, PGA | Golf House Kentucky | efisher@kygolf.org | (502) 792-9703