Defending Champion Barnes Blake Leads After Round One of 125th New Jersey Amateur Championship Presented by Provident Bank
SPRINGFIELD, N.J. — Defending champion Barnes Blake of Baltusrol Golf Club opened his title defense with a 4-under-par 66 to take the first-round lead in the 125th New Jersey Amateur Championship presented by Provident Bank on Monday at Baltusrol Golf Club.
Blake, 21, overcame three consecutive bogeys midway through his front nine by carding seven birdies, including four on his final seven holes, to finish with the low round of the day.
Photo Gallery
Scoring
Round Two Pairings
The opening round was played in challenging conditions, with steady rain throughout much of the morning. Play was suspended for approximately 30 minutes at 11:15 a.m. because of puddling on the course before resuming at 11:45 a.m.
After making three straight bogeys on holes four through six, Blake steadied himself with a birdie at the par-4 7th before making the turn at 1-over par. Once play resumed following the weather delay, he birdied Nos. 15, 17 and 18 to pull away from the field, capping his round with an up-and-down birdie on the 540-yard, par-5 18th.
"There was a lot going on in this round," Blake said. "I played the first three holes pretty nicely and then kind of rattled off three bogeys in a row. I didn't really make any mistakes, there were just misses. I knew I was playing solid, and then I birdied four of my next five to get back to 1-under. I made a really nice birdie on 15, and then it was great to close out with birdies on 17 and 18."
Blake credited improved driving on the back nine for helping fuel his finish.
"Early in the round, I didn't even hit a fairway with a driver on the front nine," Blake said. "I was glad I got that squared away and was much better on the back."
The weather presented another challenge midway through the round.
"The really heavy downpour came when I was teeing off on 12, and I hit my shot because I could hear it coming," Blake recalled. "It started pouring as we were walking to the green. By the time we got there, it softened up a little bit, but it was still raining. I made a really great up-and-down there for par."
Despite holding the overnight lead, Blake knows there is plenty of golf remaining as he looks to become the first player to successfully defend the championship since Michael Stamberger in 2013 and 2014.
"There's just so much more golf to be played," Blake said. "Today was step one. I just have to continue to play the way I played today."
"It's really cool being the defending champion, but I know I have a huge target on my back. I'm going to have to play some very good golf if I want to defend."
Rutgers University rising junior Bennett Espenshade sits alone in second after posting a 1-under-par 69, the only other under-par round of the day on the 7,010-yard Lower Course.
After opening with two early bogeys, Espenshade, 21, played his final nine holes in 2-under-par 32, including a birdie on his penultimate hole to climb into second place.
"I drove it great and I putted pretty well," Espenshade said. "The iron play was kind of here and there, but I didn't miss in too many bad spots. I was able to get up-and-down and make some good pars when I needed to."
Rather than allowing his early mistakes to derail his round, Espenshade remained patient.
"I was 2-over pretty early and felt like the round could kind of get away from me," he said. "But I did a great job of staying patient and birdieing my ninth hole of the day to get some momentum going."
Playing in his first New Jersey Amateur Championship after joining the Rutgers program, the Maryland native has quickly embraced New Jersey golf.
"It's great," Espenshade said. "Obviously it's an amazing event on an incredible course. It feels good to be here and kind of feel like I am a native New Jerseyan for the week. I'm really excited to be here and continue to compete the rest of the week."
Rounding out the top spots on the leaderboard were Austin Devereux, the 2020 Amateur Champion, and Troy Vannucci, the 2026 Four-Ball Champion, who each shot an even-par 70. Vannucci, who recently finished runner-up in the 43rd Mid-Amateur Championship, made four birdies, including a stretch of three straight on Nos. 13, 14, and 15.
Devereux fired in three birdies to offset three bogeys, closing out a strong round with a string of four pars.
“In round one you're just trying to do the best you can to keep yourself in the mix,” Devereux said. “The biggest thing for me today was that my ball striking was really good.”
Round two of the 125th New Jersey Amateur Championship presented by Provident Bank will begin at 7:30 a.m. on the Upper Course on Tuesday, July 7.
NJ Golf Social Media
For the latest updates and news, visit njgolf.org or follow New Jersey Golf on Facebook, X and Instagram at @njgolf1900.
