Thunder Bay's Evan DeGrazia fires 2-over 74 on Day 1 of Staal Foundation Open

Evan DeGrazia said the two-over 74 he shot on Thursday to open the Staal Foundation Open is about the worst possible outcome his play could allow.

The Thunder Bay native is currently tied for 122, but bettered his first-round score from the inaugural Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada event by five strokes.

All in all, he’s happy with his effort on Day 1.

“I had a couple of three putts, I had a couple of missed short ones there and I left three hanging on the edge. I just couldn’t get them to fall,” said the 20-year-old, a member of the Newberry College golf team in South Carolina.

“But other than that, my ball striking was phenomenal. I was putting them close, they just weren’t dropping.”

DeGrazia, given a last-minute sponsor’s exemption into the tournament, only found out on Monday he was in the field. At the time he was preparing for a U.S. Amateur qualifying round in Minneapolis.

Given how little time he had to prepare for his second stab at the Staal Foundation Open, he’s not complaining about his finish.

“I’m pleased. I hit it how I wanted to, but again, it was the putts. With the little preparation that I had, it was pretty good.”

There was plenty of scrambling for DeGrazia coming home.

He had six- or seven-footers left for par on 15 and 16, then hit less-than-ideal second and third shots on the lengthy par 5 18th.

“On 15 and 16 there, those were grinders. I didn’t hit two very good approach shots, but put myself in very good position to make par and I rolled them in,” he said.

He found a little redemption on 18, after his third shot fell short of the green.

“I almost jugged the fourth, for a four,” DeGrazia said.

Though he’s eight shots off the clubhouse lead, shared by American’s Justin Bardgett, Chase Marinell and David Pastore – who shot a six-under 30 on his first nine – he’s looking to go low on Friday in hopes of making the cut.

“Probably anything in the 60s is going to be needed for tomorrow. But (I don’t have any) numbers in mind. I’m just going to go as low as I can and hopefully they add up at the end.”

Fellow Thunder Bay golfers Jeff Hunter, Robbie Untinen and Walter Keating Jr. remain on the course, starting in the afternoon draw.

Former NHLer Grant Fuhr did not have a round to remember, firing an 11-over 83 to currently sit in last place.