Welch, McGreevy, in good shape after first round

Former Sooners Max McGreevy and Patrick Welch were grouped together Thursday morning to take on a familiar course, Jimmie Austin Golf Club, at this weekend’s Compliance Solutions.

Despite a double bogey on the 11th, his second hole, McGreevy finished the side strong with a well-placed bunker shot that began a streak of consecutive birdies to put him a stroke under par going into his second nine holes.

“It just kind of pushed me forward to keep making some birdies, and luckily, I ended up with a pretty decent score,” McGreevy said.

McGreevy and Welch both shot 4-under-par 68s, leaving them in a 16-place tie for 37th, five strokes back of leader Thomas Walsh.

Both players like their chances on their former home course.

“I think over four days, I’m going to put a good round together. It’s just being patient enough to give myself time to let that happen,” McGreevy said.

Not all of McGreevy’s memories of his college course are good ones, but the good ones outnumber the bad.

“Obviously, I’ve made some mistakes over this golf course but I’ve had so many triumphs and successes over the years,” McGreevy said. “Those are easy to kind of reel back on, especially when I get off to a bad start like I did.”

Welch has had his fair share of success at Jimmie Austin, too. Although the two did not intersect at Oklahoma, he was delighted to be paired with a fellow Sooner.

“It felt normal,” Welch said. “I’ve played with him quite a lot this past calendar year, so it was nice.

“There’s a lot of familiarity with each other’s games and our personalities, so it was fun, but it’s business at the same time.”

Said McGreevy, “We were kind of feeding off each other.”

Be it humidity, wind or drier and faster conditions, both former Sooners would like to see the course play tougher.

“Hopefully these guys aren’t used to some Oklahoma humidity. I feel like it’s usually not this humid in the summer in Oklahoma, but we’re getting more and more like that,” said McGreevy, who, “was hoping for a little bit more wind today.”

Both McGreevy and Welch should be confident entering the second round.

After beginning Thursday on the back nine, they’ll begin on the front nine today, where the pair combined to make eight birdies and shoot a collective 6-under par in Thursday’s first round.

Though Welch bogeyed Nos. 1 and 2 Thursday, he came back with birdies on Nos. 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8. McGreevy made no bogeys on the front Thursday, while making birdie at Nos. 3, 4 and 5.

Easy course?

During his post-round interview, former Sooner Logan McAllister, one back of the lead after 18 holes, offered his wish that the Korn Ferry Tour played more difficult courses.

McAllister, who spent last week at the U.S. Open in Pinehurst, N.C., fired an opening-round 64, which, he said, was not his best round on the course, even if he couldn’t remember exactly what his best round on it has been.

He noted the greens were very soft, allowing balls coming out of the rough to hold rather than bound forward, something he’s not used to even after playing the Jimmie Austin course through his college years.

“I hope the wind stays up a little bit,” he said, “and hopefully the greens will dry out a little bit.”

A year ago, Jimmy Stanger’s 22-under-par total won the event. This year, Thomas Walsh is 9-under after an opening 63.

Tough and easy

For the 156-player field, nine holes played over par and nine played under par on Thursday, each to varying degrees.

The 483-yard par 4 16th played toughest, competitors averaging 4.2 strokes on the hole.

The easiest hole was actually two holes, both par 5s, Nos. 12 and 17 (or Nos. 11 and 18 every other week of the year), both averaging 4.51 strokes.

The average score for the entire field was 69.66 for the par 72 course.

Other Sooners

While McAllister led the Sooner contingent and Welch and McGreevy were next, still others are in the field.

Among the rest, Blaine Hale shot a 3-under-par 69 and is tied for 53rd, Quade Cummins shot a 2-under 68 and is tied for 76th, Grant Hirschman carded a 1-under 71 and is tied for 95th, Garrett Reband carded an even-par 72 and is tied for 119th and Ben Lorenz carded a 1-over 73 and is tied for 133rd.