Yorkshire golf: David Hague leading the chase for White Rose crown at Moortown

MALTON & Norton's David Hague held a one-shot lead after the first round of the Yorkshire amateur championship at Moortown with a level-par 71.
Competitors in the Yorkshire amateur championship pictured on the practice green at Moortown (Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe).Competitors in the Yorkshire amateur championship pictured on the practice green at Moortown (Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe).
Competitors in the Yorkshire amateur championship pictured on the practice green at Moortown (Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe).

The gap could have been greater though for two of the three bogeys that offset his three birdies came at par-5s – and he also parred Moortown’s other long hole by three-putting.

Nonetheless, he could be pleased with matching par on a difficult day.

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“I played pretty solid in the conditions,” he said. “It was very windy and firm greens – not a great combination.”

The host club’s Ben Firth is among a group of four players on 72, along with Woodhall Hills’ Ben Rhodes, Nick Raybould (Bridlington Links) and Chris Arrand, of Hickleton.

Among the players two shots adrift of Hague are England B international Will Whiteoak, of Shipley, and his Yorkshire county team-mate Ben Hutchinson (Howley Hall).

Yorkshire Boys’ champion Tom Gray, another competitor playing on his home course, carded a four-over-par 75, as did Cookridge Hall’s Tom Broxup, who earlier this year became the first player to win all four of the Leeds Union’s major titles in the space of a year.

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The leading 40 players and ties after today will progress to tomorrow’s final two rounds.

Last year's winner Jamie Bower (Meltham) is not at Moortown to defend his title as the Brabazon Trophy holder Bower is preparing for the US Amateur championship, which starts at Oakland Hills Country Club, in Michigan, next Monday.

Also missing is new English men’s amateur champion Dan Brown (Masham) and The Oak’s James Walker, who are on Home Internationals duty at Nairn, and their Yorkshire county team-mate Jonathan Thomson (Rotherham), who has recently turned professional.

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