Seven amateurs and four professionals lead the field.
The morning wave of 65 players at the 92nd West Virginia Open Championship took advantage of the cooler temperatures, before the afternoon wave of 65 played in nearly 90-degree weather at Sleepy Hollow Golf Club in Hurricane.
Professional golfer and 2023 WV Open Champion Ryan Bilby of Follansbee holds a two-stroke lead at six under par (-6) 66 to top the leaderboard at the end of the first day of competition, aided by seven birdies. A recent graduate of Marshall University, he turned professional for this year’s tournament. Rounding out the top ten, including ties, are:
- David Bradshaw (p) of Harpers Ferry, (-4) 68;
- Bryson Beaver of Elkview, (-4) 68;
- Christian Brand of Hurricane, (-3) 69;
- Tommy Evans of Charles Town, (-3) 69;
- Chris Williams of Scott Depot, (-3) 69;
- Thadd Obecny II (p) of Wheeling, (-3) 69;
- Justin Doerr of Wheeling, (-2) 70;
- Mitch Hoffman of Hurricane, (-2) 70;
- Cameron Jarvis of Barboursville, (-2) 70;
- Jack Michael of Huntington, (-2) 70;
- Will Evans (p) of Charleston, (-2) 70; and
- Stephen McDavid of Scott Depot, (-2) 70.
“This is a tough test of weather and golf,” said WVGA Executive Director Chris Slack. “We’re excited that this state championship is taking place for the ninth time at Sleepy Hollow Golf Course. We are looking forward to the next two days of competitive golf among our state’s best professional and amateur golfers.”
“Monday’s Shootout is the most fun event of the week, and Tuesday’s pro-am event is our way of recognizing Generations Ford, Generations Physical Therapy and the other folks who help make this happen with their time and sponsorships,” said Sleepy Hollow’s Head Golf Professional Jimmy Harrison. “We’re excited to have the best professionals and amateurs in the state on the course this week, including a number of our own members, so we hope to see them do well.”
Round two of the championship will begin Thursday morning at 8:00 with tee times off the front and back nine. At the conclusion of play, the field will be cut to the lowest 60 scores and ties who will advance to the final round on Friday.
The WV OPEN Championship has a rich 91-year history. Legendary professional golfer Sam Snead holds the record for the most WV OPEN victories at 17 between 1936 and 1973. Professional golfer David Bradshaw of Harpers Ferry has claimed the title 12 times from 2001 to 2021 and is playing in this year’s event. The defending champion is Todd Duncan.
For today’s leaderboard, visit WV Open Leaderboard.