Four players share early lead at Chitimacha Louisiana Open

Peter Uihlein, Shad Tuten, Mark Hubbard, and Braden Thornberry all carded 6-under 65s at Le Triomphe Golf and Country Club, with Hubbard and Thornberry signing two of the 10 bogey-free scorecards posted thus far. Upon the suspension of play, the quartet held a one-stroke lead over 10 players, including Louisiana State University alum Ben Taylor, who shot a bogey-free 5-under 66.

Uihlein ended the day in a familiar position, as he stood T1 after the first round of last year’s Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by MISTRAS. Uihlein also co-led after 36 holes and eventually finished one stroke behind Roberto Díaz last March.

Thursday morning, Uihlein was in the first group off No. 1, one of three par 5s on the front nine. The Oklahoma State University alum and Jupiter, Florida resident played those par 5s at 4-under par with a birdie at No. 1, eagle at No. 5, and a birdie at No. 7. Uihlein also birdied Nos. 8 and 9 for a string of three in a row, but bogeyed the par-4 10th. A birdie at the par-5 12th followed by six consecutive pars took Uihlein to 6-under par.

“That was my goal, to play the par 5s better,” said Uihlein, a 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Finals graduate who has played predominantly on the PGA TOUR this season. “I hadn’t been playing par 5s really well on TOUR this year.”

Tuten made a field-leading eight birdies in his opening round. A 29-year-old native of Augusta, Georgia in his second Korn Ferry Tour season, Tuten began the day with a par at No. 10 and followed it with three consecutive birdies. A bogey at the par-4 14th and birdie at the par-4 17th kept Tuten at 3-under par through his opening nine holes. Tuten began the front nine with a birdie-bogey-birdie stretch, after which he birdied the par-5 fifth and par-4 ninth.

With two top-25s already this season, Tuten felt confident with most of his game as the Korn Ferry Tour returned from a three-week break in the schedule Thursday. The Naples, Florida resident enjoyed some rest and relaxation, but also sharpened his game during the downtime.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t take eight days off and put my feet up and enjoyed a beer or two, but I got to work and reset some things with the putter, and it’s working,” said Tuten, who played this event (but missed the cut) last year amid his rookie season. “Last year was really bad weather and I got a bad draw, but I really like the course, I love the greens, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the week for sure.”

Thornberry was the only member of the four-way tie atop the leaderboard who teed off in the afternoon. The 24-year-old University of Mississippi alum birdied Nos. 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, and 17 en route to his bogey-free round.

Thornberry is in his second consecutive season as a fully exempt member, as he was co-medalist at Final Stage of the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament and finished inside the top 75 on the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season Points List. Thornberry barely missed out on a PGA TOUR card at the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Finals as well, finishing 28th in points across the three events.

In Thornberry’s debut start at this event last season, he finished T8 and carded an 8-under 63 in the second round.

“I know people talk about horses for courses,” Thornberry said. “Some courses it seems like when you play well you’re toward the top of the leaderboard, and sometimes you’re fighting to make the cut. This is one of those places I feel like if I play my game and am really clicking, I’m looking good on the leaderboard.”

Hubbard, who plays out of the “Nos. 126-150 in 2020-21 FedExCup Standings” category on the PGA TOUR, opened with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 1 and 2, and chipped in for another at the par-4 fourth.

“I got lucky,” Hubbard said. “I had a good lie around the green which you don’t always get out here. I let a few go on the par 5s after that.”

Hubbard did capitalize on the only par 5 on the back nine, though, as he birdied No. 12. The Denver, Colorado native’s other birdies came at the par-4 10th and 17th.

While eight of Hubbard’s nine starts this season came on the PGA TOUR, his only Korn Ferry Tour start resulted in a T6 at the LECOM Suncoast Classic three weeks ago. Hubbard’s PGA TOUR highlights this season include a 15th at The Honda Classic last month, and a T16 at the Fortinet Championship last September.

“I’m going to be primarily playing on the PGA TOUR, but to have a full season I need to play out here too, so I’m coming out here and trying to win and get into that (top) 25 because that’s a way to get your (PGA TOUR) card,” said Hubbard, a 2019 Korn Ferry Tour graduate. “A share of the lead after Thursday doesn’t really mean much, but especially out on this Tour. Everyone’s so good and takes it so deep that you’ve just got to try to make as many birdies as you can for all 72 holes.”

The first round will resume at 8:20 a.m. and second-round tee times will be delayed by one hour, with revised times running from 8:20 a.m. through 3:10 p.m.

First-Round Notes

• First-round tee times, originally scheduled to begin at 7:20 a.m., were delayed one hour and 10 minutes due to fog.
• Shad Tuten (T1 / -6) co-led the 2020 Orange County National Championship presented by Knight 39 after the first round, currently his highest 18-hole position in 45 previous Korn Ferry Tour starts
  • Tuten missed the cut at this event as a rookie last season, as he finished 8-over par with rounds of 74 and 76
• Peter Uihlein (T1 / -6) has led or co-led after the first round in two of his previous 30 Korn Ferry Tour starts; he was T1 at the 2021 Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by MISTRAS, and led outright at the 2017 Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron
• Mark Hubbard’s (T1 / -6) highest 18-hole position in 87 previous Korn Ferry Tour starts are T2s from the 2014 AdventHealth Championship and 2019 Visit Knoxville Open
• Braden Thornberry’s (T1 / -6) best 18-hole position in 62 previous Korn Ferry Tour starts was T5 at the 2019 Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS
• Louisiana State University alums Luis Gagne and Brandon Pierce both shot 2-under 69 and stand T37
• Two Baton Rouge high schoolers – Luke Haskew (T73 / E) and Boyd Owens (T136 / +6) – Monday qualified for this week’s event
  • Haskew is a senior at Louisiana State University Laboratory School and is committed to play collegiately at LSU
  • Owens, a senior at Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, completed 13 holes before play was suspended due to darkness; he is committed to play collegiately at Wake Forest
• Defending champion Roberto Díaz also shot a 2-under 69 and stands T37, while 2010 champion Fabián Gómez (T15 / -4) completed 17 holes, and 2018 champion Julián Etulain shot a 3-under 68 to stand T24
• The Chitimacha Louisiana Open is the sixth of 23 regular season events on the 26-event 2022 Korn Ferry Tour schedule; the first set of 25 PGA TOUR cards will be awarded at the regular season finale, the Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna (August 11-14), and an additional 25 TOUR cards will be awarded following the three-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals, which conclude with the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance (September 1-4)
• This week’s purse is $750,000, with $135,000 going to the champion; the champion will also receive 500 Korn Ferry Tour points
• All 2022 Korn Ferry Tour regular season events feature a minimum purse of $750,000, a 25 percent increase from last season, and will boast minimum purses of $1 million in 2023 for a total increase of 66.7 percent from 2021 to 2022

 
Chitimacha Louisiana Open Presented by MISTRAS — Second-round Pairings for Friday, March 18
No. 1 Tee
8:20 a.m.
Akshay Bhatia, Wake Forest, N.C.; Steven Bowditch, Queensland, Australia; Theo Humphrey, Dallas, Texas
8:30 a.m. Sam Saunders, Fort Collins, Colo.; John Chin, Temecula, Calif.; Aaron Baddeley, Melbourne, Australia
8:40 a.m. Carson Young, Pendleton, S.C.; Michael Gellerman, Sterling, Kan.; Ben Taylor, London, England
8:50 a.m. Tyson Alexander, Gainesville, Fla.; Kris Ventura, Moss, Norway; Charlie Saxon, Tulsa, Okla.
9 a.m. Byeong Hun An, Seoul, Korea; Anders Albertson, Atlanta, Ga.; George Cunningham, Allen, Texas
9:10 a.m. Curtis Luck, Perth, Australia; Shawn Stefani, Mont Belvieu, Texas; Cody Gribble, Dallas, Texas
9:20 a.m. Bo Hoag, Columbus, Ohio; Fabian Gomez, Chaco, Argentina; Ben Griffin, Chapel Hill, N.C.
9:30 a.m. Corey Shaun, Encinitas, Calif.; Justin Suh, San Jose, Calif.; Clay Feagler, Laguna Niguel, Calif.
9:40 a.m. Peyton White, Charlotte, N.C.; Jonathan Brightwell, Edmond, Okla.; Michael Feagles, Scottsdale, Ariz.
9:50 a.m. Nicolas Echavarria, Medellin, Colombia; Jeremy Paul, Heidelberg, Germany; John Pak, Scotch Plains, N.J.
10 a.m. Seonghyeon Kim, Changwon, Korea; Mark Anguiano, Whittier, Calif.; Davis Thompson, St. Simons Island, Ga.
10:10 a.m. Chase Parker, Augusta, Ga.; Austin Fox, Austin, Texas; Jake McCrory, Deer Park, Texas
—–
1:20 p.m David Skinns, Lincoln, England; Joshua Creel, Cheyenne, Wyo.; Heath Slocum, Atlanta, Ga.
1:30 p.m. Tag Ridings, Keller, Texas; Erik Barnes, Marion, Ind.; Ryan Blaum, Raleigh, N.C.
1:40 p.m. Sangmoon Bae, Las Vegas, Nev.; Scott Harrington, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Shad Tuten, Aiken, S.C.
1:50 p.m. Brett Drewitt, Inverell, Australia; Rob Oppenheim, Andover, Mass.; Taylor Montgomery, Las Vegas, Nev.
2 p.m. Scott Brown, Aiken, S.C.; Kevin Roy, Tampa, Fla.; Will Gordon, Davidson, N.C.
2:10 p.m. Dan McCarthy, Syracuse, N.Y.; Chad Collins, Cloverdale, Ind.; Carl Yuan, Dalian, China
2:20 p.m. Vince India, Chicago, Ill.; Zach Fischer, Benton, Ark.; Stephen Franken, Raleigh, N.C.
2:30 p.m. Grant Hrischman, Memphis, Tenn.; A. J. Crouch, Jacksonville, Fla.; Patrick Cover, Cornelius, N.C.
2:40 p.m. Tee-K Kelly, Wheaton, Ill.; Garett Reband, York, S.C.; Tripp Kinney, Waukee, Iowa
2:50 p.m. Alex Chiarella, Maui, Hawaii; Tain Lee, Irvine, Calif.; Andrew Kozan, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
3 p.m. Brandon Crick, McCook, Neb.; Nick Voke, Auckland, New Zealand; Brad Brunner, Tampa, Fla.
3:10 p.m. Matt Atkins, North Augusta, S.C.; Chandler Blanchet, Jacksonville Beach, Fla.; Nathan Jeansonne, Keithville, La.
No. 10 Tee
8:20 a.m. Brandon Harkins, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Harry Hall, Cornwall, England; Rafael Campos, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
8:30 a.m. Daniel Chopra, Falun, Sweden; Patrick Fishburn, Ogden, Utah; Brent Grant, Honolulu, Hawaii
8:40 a.m. Tom Lewis, Hertfordshire, England; Robby Shelton, Wilmer, Ala.; Stuart Macdonald, Vancouver, B.C.
8:50 a.m. Roberto Diaz, Veracruz, Mexico; Michael Kim, Dallas, Texas, Ryan McCormick, Middletown, N.J.
9 a.m. Brandon Matthews, Dupont, Penn.; Blayne Barber, Auburn, Ala.; Braden Thornberry, Olive Branch, Miss.
9:10 a.m. Paul Haley II, Dallas, Texas; Chris Baker, Jacksonville Beach, Fla.; Trevor Werbylo, Tucson, Ariz.
9:20 a.m. Julian Etulain, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Jimmy Stanger, Tampa, Fla.; Brad Hopfinger, Chicago, Ill.
9:30 a.m. Jay Card III, Shelter Island, N.Y.; Tano Goya, Alta Gracia, Argentina; Sam Stevens, Wichita, Kan.
9:40 a.m. Albin Choi, Toronto, Ontario; Corey Pereira, Cameron Park, Calif.; John Augenstein, Owensboro, Ky.
9:50 a.m. Augusto Nunez, Yerba Buena, Argentina; T. J. Vogel, Hollywood, Fla.; Vincent Norrman, Stockholm, Sweden
10 a.m. Andrew Yun, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Eric Cole, Tequesta, Fla.; Matt McCarty, Scottsdale, Ariz.
10:10 a.m. Christopher Malec, Webster, N.Y.; Derek Fribbs, Aurora, Colo.; Boyd Owens, Baton Rouge, La.
—–
1:20 p.m. Peter Uihlein, Jupiter, Fla.; Kyle Reifers, Mooresville, N.C.; Tim Whitney, Dallas, Texas
1:30 p.m. Nicholas Lindheim, Satellite Beach, Fla.; Martin Flores, Frisco, Texas; Ben Kohles, Cary, N.C.
1:40 p.m. Josh Teater, Lexington, Ky.; Alexandre Rocha, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Justin Lower, Canal Fulton, Ohio
1:50 p.m. Jose de Jesus Rodriguez, Irapuato, Mexico; John VanDerLaan, Southbury, Conn.; Jim Knous, Littleton, Colo.
2 p.m. David Kocher, Charlotte, N.C.; Xinjun Zhang, Shanxi, China; Rhein Gibson, Edmond, Okla.
2:10 p.m. Mark Anderson, Beaufort, S.C.; Kevin Dougherty, Murrieta, Calif.; Dawson Armstrong, Brentwood, Tenn.
2:20 p.m. Mark Hubbard, Denver, Colo.; Zecheng Dou, Beijing, China; Joey Garber, Petoskey, Mich.
2:30 p.m. Patrick Newcomb, Benton, Ky.; Martin Contini, Tucuman, Argentina; Steven Fisk, Stockbridge, Ga.
2:40 p.m. Kyle Westmoreland, Daniel Island, S.C.; Thomas Rosenmueller, Munich, Germany; Pontus Nyholm, Gavie, Sweden
2:50 p.m. Marcelo Rozo, Bogota, Colombia; Conner Godsey, Rogersville, Ala.; Luis Gagne, Orlando, Fla.
3 p.m. M J Daffue, Pretoria, South Africa; Marcos Montenegro, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Thomas Walsh, High Point, N.C.
3:10 p.m. Matthew Picanso, Bakersfield, Calif.; Brandon Pierce, Covington, La.; Luke Haskew, Baton Rouge, La.