GLENCOE, Illinois – Tyler Watts lit up the first round of the 123rd Western Amateur on Tuesday, firing an 8-under 62 to set a new course record at Skokie Country Club and take a two-shot lead after 18 holes.
Watts’ bogey-free round featured eight birdies on the historic 7,181-yard, par-70 layout. The previous record of 63 was set by John Pak – who is now playing on the PGA TOUR – during the 2017 Western Amateur.
“Today was a really good day,” Watts said. “I was in a great headspace. It’s definitely a round I’ll remember for a while.”
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Ranked No. 42 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and one of the top juniors in the AJGA, the 17-year-old from Huntsville, Alabama, looked sharp from start to finish. After struggling with the putter during Monday’s practice round, a focused tune-up session paid dividends.
“I got in some work Monday evening and felt really good over the putter today, which helped a lot,” Watts said. “I didn’t make any bogeys, so I did what I needed to from tee to green, then rolled in a couple of putts.”
Watts, who is verbally committed to Tennessee, has enjoyed a busy summer. He won the Sunnehanna Amateur in June and posted top-10 finishes at the North & South Amateur, Northeast Amateur and Team TaylorMade Invitational. Just last week, advanced to the Round of 16 at the U.S. Junior Amateur.
“I’ve been playing great and have a ton of confidence,” Watts said. “I know I have good golf in me. If I show up with the right mindset and mental awareness, I can get the ball in the hole.”
This week, he’s being aided by a familiar face – his childhood friend Barak Erwin, who is on the bag as his caddie.
“We just talk all the time out there,” Watts said. “It’s not even about golf. It’s just nice to have someone to take my mind off the game for a bit. When I step up to a shot, we’re ready to go.”
Four players chased the round of the day but came up two shots shy. Jacob Modleski (Notre Dame), Jase Summy (Oklahoma), William Sides (SMU) and Wells Williams (Vanderbilt) shot matching 6-under 64s to sit in a tie for second heading into Wednesday’s second round.
The 19th-ranked Modleski, of Noblesville, Indiana, turned in a bogey-free scorecard that featured five birdies on his front nine.
“I hit a lot of fairways. It’s something you have to do on this course,” the 20-year-old said. “When you’re in play, you can attack some of these flags. Staying below the hole is definitely key.”
Fresh off becoming the first player in program history to win the ACC Championship, Modleski credited his sophomore season for sharpening his game.
“The ACC is a really strong conference,” he said. “Playing against really good players definitely helped me mentally.”
Summy, the world’s No. 9-ranked amateur, also kept a clean card with six birdies – three on each side.
“My game was feeling good,” said the Keller, Texas, native. “I’ve been hitting it really well recently. I haven’t been putting that great, but the putter came alive today. I started rolling in some putts early, which really set the tone.”
SMU’s William Sides, a rising senior from Tulsa, Oklahoma, carded seven birdies – Including all three par-5s – to join the group at 64.
“I hit it well today and was seeing my lines on the green pretty well,” Sides said. “I was able to take advantage of the par 5s, knocking in a few long putts.”
Sides, ranked No. 50, has seen success since switching to a left-handed putting stroke, despite swinging right-handed.
“I was putting right-handed all the way through my freshman year,” he explained. “My coach suggested trying left-handed and it just felt natural right away. It was kind of crazy how quickly it worked.”
Williams, the No. 14-ranked amateur from West Point, Mississippi, rounded out the group at 64 after making eight birdies.
At 5-under are Carson Bertagnole (UNC commit) of Pinehurst, North Carolina, and Connor McNeely (Cincinnati) of Noblesville, Indiana. Bertagnole rebounded from a pair of early bogeys with an eagle on the par-5 11th, fueling a 4-under 32 on his final nine.
“It was big,” Bertagnole said. “I missed a couple of short putts early, so it was frustrating, but I made some on the back that I probably shouldn’t have. It just felt good to finally see them go in.”
Four players are tied for eighth at 4-under, including 2019 champion Garret Rank, a 37-year-old from Ontario, Canada. Fifty-six players broke par in the opening round. The field will be cut to the low 44 and ties after Wednesday’s second round.
First held at Glen View Club in 1899, the Western Amateur is the third-oldest amateur golf championship in the world – trailing only the British Amateur (1885) and the U.S. Amateur (1895). It consistently draws elite amateur talent from around the globe, with past champions including legends like Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.
The Western Amateur is one of golf’s most demanding events, combining grueling stroke play with intense match play. A field of 156 players will compete in 72 holes of stroke play over three days to determine the Sweet 16 for match play.
Live streaming coverage of the match play rounds will be available on ESPN+, with over 12 hours of broadcast scheduled for Friday, Aug. 1, and Saturday, Aug. 2. Coverage will be available to ESPN+ subscribers via the ESPN app, ESPN.com and connected TV devices. Coverage will also be available in Canada on TSN+, and the Caribbean and Latin America on Disney+.
Attendance and parking at the Western Amateur are free.