College Standouts Lead After Day One of 2018 Oregon Public Links
WOODBURN, Ore. - Bryce Wortman (Creswell, Ore.) and Ellen Secor (Portland, Ore.) lead their respective fields after the first day of play at the 21st Oregon Public Links Championship, held this weekend at the OGA Golf Course in Woodburn, Ore.
Wortman leads the Men's Championship Flight, while Secor leads the Women's Championship Flight.
Wortman, a rising junior at San Jose State University, fired a solid 2-under par 70 on Saturday, leading the men's field by one shot. The 2015 Oregon Junior Amateur champion and 2018 Oregon Amateur semifinalist started his round bogey-bogey, and 2-over through two holes. However, Wortman would go on to compile four birdies on the back nine and play 4-under his final 16 holes.
Three players -- 2016 Oregon Mid-Amateur winner Philip Bagdade (Portland, Ore.), 2004 Public Links champion Ryan Fery (Beaverton, Ore.), and 2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifier Chris Polski (Eugene, Ore.) all sit one shot behind at 1-under par. Kyle Luttrell (Lebanon, Ore.) is in fifth place at even par.
The women's field is led by Secor, the rising junior at Colorado State and 2018 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball champion. Also an Oregon Amateur semifinalist this year, Secor led for the majority of the day, finishing at 2-under on her front nine before getting to 3-under par after a birdie on the par-4 15th. A bogey on No. 17 dropped her back a stroke, but Secor still finished her first round with a 2-under par 70.
Last year's champion, rising University of Nevada junior Jenny Krause (Eugene, Ore.), is in second place at even par. Future Wolfpack teammate Victoria Gailey (Tigard, Ore.) and University of Colorado Colorado Springs golfer McKenna Vanko (Milwaukie, Ore.) sit in a tie for third at 1-over par.
A third division, the Men's Open Flight, is also taking place this weekend. This flight plays from a shorter set of tees than the Championship field. After Saturday's first round, James Lance (Salem, Ore.), Nathan Pawlak (Bend, Ore.) and Justin Virden (Salem, Ore.) are all tied for first, all shooting 77 (+5).
