Ty Kretz shoots 5-under 66 to take first-round lead at Wisconsin State Amateur

WAUKESHA – Play in the 123rd Wisconsin Amateur Championship began Monday at The Legend at Merrill Hills, with Marinette’s Ty Kretz setting a quick early pace by taking a first-round lead with a 5-under 66 on the par 71 course.

He did not have a three-putt nor a bogey on his card.

“It’s hard not to think about it when you’re out there,” Kretz said of playing so cleanly. “I knew I was playing well. I tried to forget where I was at and play each hole by itself and then coming into it, you never know what it’s going to be like especially with all the rain they’ve been getting.”

While Kretz made five birdies in total, it was a handful of par saves after he made the turn that helped spur him to three birdies over his final six holes.

Leader board:Wisconsin State Amateur

“Driver went well, irons are touchy because the greens are so soft so you had to really flight irons in there and try to keep the spin off ‘em, so it made it difficult,” Kretz said. “I missed a couple greens spinning off the front but chipped really well and made the 3-, 4-, 5-footers for par a couple times coming in.”

Kretz adjusted his putting setup prior to the tournament, which helped him get the ball rolling smoothly, but he isn’t planning on changing much about his approach as the first-round leader.

“No, nothing too much,” he said. “Just happy with posting a nice score the first round and not setting yourself behind the eight ball. So, just getting a nice start to the tournament.”

Kretz was paired with Kenosha Tremper High School and University of Wisconsin alumnus Cameron Huss, the reigning Wisconsin State Open champ and last year’s Amateur runner-up. Huss also made five birdies also and kept pace with Kretz until he bogeyed two of his final six holes, finishing with a 2-under 69.

Fellow Badger Jacob Beckman of Middleton also finished 2-under for the day.

Huss and Beckman were joined by Sheboygan's Max Schmidtke at 2-under after an eventful conclusion to his round. He was 2-under through 16 but then double-bogeyed the par-5 17th hole to fall to even-par – only to eagle the par-4 18th with a 50-degree wedge from 111 yards out.

"It started with a really nice bounce-back swing off the tee," Schmidtke said. "The double I felt like I played it pretty smart and they added up so I was standing on the tee in a position where I could've been a little heated and felt like I didn't deserve it. But just tried to make a really good swing and just try to build some momentum as quick as I could and I was able to do that."

Madison's Garrett Jones (even-par 71) joined Kretz, Huss and Schmidtke as the players who carded five birdies in the first round.

So with three inches of rain expected before Tuesday's second round, Schmidtke acknowledged low scores could be had in Round 2.

"I think it's out there for sure," Schmidtke said. "Ty, no surprise at all, he's such a solid player. And with how you can position yourself off the tee, with how soft it is, while you have to control your spin I will say it's a lot easier with some of the longer approach shots or into the par 5s. Even, I guess, with the short wedges too. We're used to, at the Am, kind of bouncing them and seeing some release. So you can play the number and you have just a little bit more ability to kind of control it, especially to the front pins too."

Finishing at 1-under were Bryson Mercier (Powers, Michigan), Joe DuChateau (Fond Du Lac), Wisconsin assistant golf coach Ross Thomson and Badgers player Will Harned (Nashotah).

The tournament’s defending champion, Jack Schultz of Whitefish Bay, shot a 7-over 78 and was 12 shots off the lead. Ryan Quinn (2001-02) was the last player to win the Amateur in back-to-back years.

University of Wisconsin alumnus Tyler Obermueller (2022) is the only other past champion in the field from the last decade of winners, as Piercen Hunt (2021), Thomas Longbella (2020), Hunter Eichorn (2019), Harrison Ott (2018), Matt Tolan (2017), Alex Gaugert (2014) and Jordan Niebrugge (2013) turned professional.

Obermueller, who was a pro briefly before regaining his amateur status, won the 2009 Amateur at The Legend of Merrill Hills. He is the last player to win two championships. Obermueller shot a 4-over 75