Golf

By SHANE STARK
Staff Writer

Pablo Acuna learned English at an early age. He grew up in Guatemala, but was fortunate enough to attend an American school in his homeland’s capital city and frequently travel to the US.

But Acuna’s childhood in mountainous Central America has also helped in his sixth-year of transition to full-time American life. The steep lands back home allowed Acuna, a former two-time All-Conference USA selection for the University of Houston, to learn ways to stay alive on wickedly quick greens — even though his native land has only five courses.

That was especially beneficial in the opening round of the Texas State Open on Thursday at The Cascades Golf Club. With fleeting putts expected to help determine the difference between birdie and bogey and the hands that will ultimately grasp the $25,000 champion’s check, Acuna fired a five-under par 65 to finish in a three-way tie atop the leaderboard.

“It’s a preference,” Acuna, in his first Open, said of fast greens. “A lot of people have trouble on fast greens, but it’s a benefit for me. It’s an advantage, I think.”

Acuna is tied with McKinney’s Christopher Ward and Dallas’ Ryan Posey heading into today’s second round. Ward, a member of the Texas Tech golf team, is vying to become the tournament’s first amateur champion since 1960.

All three highlighted a day when much of the field seemingly scorched the Cascades, which is playing host to the tournament for the third consecutive year. Currently, the cut is at 2 over (the top 55 and ties advance to Saturday) — where defending champ Matt Loving happens to stand.

With 31 players beginning the four-round championship with sub-par rounds, the leaders are just one stroke ahead of second and seven strokes away from the cut.

Ward, competing in the morning group, was alone in the lead for much of the afternoon until Acuna and Posey completed their rounds. No doubt, such a strong statement against the pros was a perfect way to pursue history — on his scale, Ward feels he played perfectly.

“It was good to come in and play well,” said Ward, the 2005 runner-up at the UIL Class 4A state tournament. “That was as good as I could have done all day.”

The other leaders weren’t ashamed of their rounds, either.

Product of a sluggish start, Acuna opened on the 10th tee box and bogeyed two of the first three holes. But four birdies followed to finish the front nine 2-under. Then a run of three consecutive birdies after the turn combined to slingshot him to the top.

“It was kind of a rough start with bogey, par, bogey,” Acuna said. “I didn’t hit bad shots, but just missed them slightly. Actually, both of them weren’t bad bogeys — I was pretty close to making double in both. But I was patient and knew I was hitting it good, cutting it good.”

Ward, meanwhile, also began on the 10th hole and bogeyed 12. He followed with birdies on 13 and 15 to enter the turn at 1-under, and then birdied three of his last four holes to finish his day — he made a 15-foot par put and a 20-foot birdie put to end the round.

“I played very well, about as good as I could possibly play. I made four good putts at the end,” Ward said.

Unlike Acuna and Ward, Posey started at No. 1 and was even through five. But after birdying the par 5 sixth, he finished similarly strong with birdies on four of his last six holes.

Other players under par:

Canton, Ga.’s Thomas Baker, Rusk’s Greg Hamilton, College Station’s Adam Crawford and Mission’s Dustin Garza (amateur) at 4-under.

Notes

: Acuna said the difference between Guatemalan and American golf is vast.

“It’s a lot more competitive here,” Acuna said. “Golf is not very big down there. We only have five courses and they are about to finish the sixth one. So, here you have so many more golf courses and so many more golfers that it’s a lot more competitive.”

Adam Crawford of College Station shot a 4-under 66 in the first round of the Texas State Open on Thursday at The Cascades Golf Club.
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