Davidson's par save sparks stellar round to open Scott Robertson Memorial

That is exactly where Molly Davidson found herself Friday afternoon. The Alabama native, coming off back-to-back birdies, faced a daunting lie out of the bunker. Anything less than saving par could derail what was a promising round.

She saved par to remain in contention for the lead.

“That kind of got me motivated to keep going,” Davidson said.

Davidson followed up her par save by rattling off two more birdies on the back nine. She finished with a 5-under 66 and holds a four-stroke lead in the girls 15-18 division after the opening round of the 39th Scott Robertson Memorial.

“The putts just started dropping and started feeling it,” she said.

The putts also were dropping for Tyler Mawhinney in the boys 15-18 division. The freshman from Fleming Island High School in Florida made six birdies and posted a 4-under 67 to lead by two strokes heading into the second round.

Drew Woolworth and Chase Nevins are tied for second. The boys 15-18 division leaderboard is jumbled up after the top three.

Eleven players are tied for fourth at 1 under, five more shot even par, and 11 more are tied at 1 over.

The logjam at 1 under includes Sam Udovich, who was the early first-round leader at 4 under following his birdie at the par-3 12th. He posted four bogeys and one birdie over the final six holes to drop into the 11-way tie for fourth.

“My first nine holes I played really good golf. I made my putts from 15 [feet] and out,” Udovich said. “The last nine, the putts didn’t really go in. Got another day tomorrow.”

Defending champion Byungho Lee and Lord Botetourt High senior Ashton Harper are in the group tied at 1 over.

“I feel like 1 over was not best but it’s really all I could do today because I really couldn’t do anything,” Lee said. “I’m only [five] back right now and still two days to go.”

Davidson was consistent throughout her first competitive round at Roanoke Country Club.

She posted six birdies (four on the Crabapple course) and her lone bogey came at No. 9 on the Dogwood course.

Her four-birdie back nine allowed her to create separation in a girls 15-18 division that is as tight as the boys 15-18 field.

Macy Pate, a 2022 Rolex Junior All-America first-team selection, is in second at 1 under.

Mia Hammond and Kiera Bartholomew are tied for third at even par.

Bartholomew, a senior at North Raleigh Christian Academy in North Carolina, was one of the few golfers who did not have a college coach watching them. Bartholomew has signed with the University of Virginia, and the Cavaliers opened the NCAA championships Friday at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.

One of her two playing partners, Kennedy Swedick, is a junior at Albany Academy for Girls in New York and has verbally committed to UVa.

“It’s nice to come to Virginia and play courses out here,” Bartholomew said.

Six players are tied for fifth at 1 over, four are at 2 over and four more are at 3 over.

Davidson, a sophomore at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Alabama, credited her low round to hitting the fairways and greens Friday. Players said the rough was tougher than normal and the greens had plenty of speed.

That didn’t stop Davidson from capitalizing on her birdie opportunities, especially at the Crabapple Nos. 6 and 8 after her par save at No. 4.

“I liked them,” she said of the greens. “I think they were rolling really well, so it made it easy to read.”

Finn Watson shot 5-under 66 and holds a one-stroke lead over Blacksburg’s Cameron Sharp in the boys 14-under division.

Sharp, the son of Virginia Tech men’s golf coach Brian Sharp, made seven birdies in his round.

Grace Carter shot 1-over 72 and leads the girls 14-under division by one stroke over Macie Rasmussen.

Ashnoor Kaur, the 2021 winner of the division, is tied for third at 3 over.

Alisa Davidova, the 2022 winner of the division, is in ninth at 8 over.