Hunter

Stewart

The all-everything from Vanderbilt and recent Walker Cupper is making his professional debut this week. He concluded his collegiate career slotted fourth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. After a sketchy opening 72 during which he hit just 11 greens in regulation and erased three birdies with four bogeys, Stewart went 3-for-3 in scrambling and picked off three birdies in his second stroll around TPC Summerlin. While he’ll get paid for the first time, the next challenge will be to survive the MDF cut that will fall after 54 holes, but it’s gravy at this point. Dynasty gamers need to keep an eye peeled to the 22-year-old talent.

In his third event as a pro, The Vanderbilt product went for a T10 two-and-a-half months ago at the OHL Classic on rounds of 68-69-68-68. With no status on TOUR, the top 10 earned him an exemption into the following week’s RSM Classic, but he turned it down, opting instead for the second stage of q-school for the Web.com Tour, where he WD after two rounds. The 22-year-old is making his CB Challenge debut this week along with 24 others and is making his first start on TOUR post-OHL.

In just his third event as a pro, Stewart will easily cash the biggest check of his short career. His two previous starts netted a missed cut last week at the Sanderson Farms and a T72/MDF three weeks ago at the Shriners. The Vanderbilt product began his final frame at 8-under (T24) and eight off the pace. He overshadowed three bogeys with birdies at Nos. 1, 3, 4, 6, 13 and finished in style with a walk-off 3 at the par-4 18th. Stewart’s six circles came on just 10 greens in regulation, good for a sparkling 1.400 mark in putts per GIR. The 22-year-old ended the week with 21 birdies, T4 in the field at last check, and squared 10 bogeys. His T10 will get him an exemption into this week’s RSM Classic in Georgia if he chooses to accept it.

The American 25-year-old has very little experience at the top table, but he was T10 in the PGA Tour’s OHL Classic back in 2015. The Vanderbilt grad has been playing on the Canadian Tour this year and was T7 in early July and T22 last week. On Thursday he gave himself the chance to trump both with his flawless lap of the Arthur Hills design. He started in style with birdies at the first and third, then he settled down with eight straight pars. There was another tick at the 12th before he completed his day’s job with back-to-back red numbers at the 15th and 16th. He’ll begin the second round T4 and just three back of the leader Clement Sordet.

The American arrived in Europe off the back of some neat if not remarkable form on the Canadian Tour, but he has blossomed. He was T4 at halfway in the Nordea Masters (finished T24), T9 last week in the Czech Masters and now returns to Scandinavia and a halfway top ten at Silkeborg Ry GC in Aarhus. He struggled to the turn, swapping dropped shots at the first and sixth with a birdie at the fourth. But for a second day running the early back nine holes were to his liking: five straight birdies from the tenth on Thursday, birdie-birdie-eagle-2 on Friday. There was another bogey to come (at the 17th), but on the whole another good day’s work. A top ten this week can stretch his Euro trip yet further.

In a round of three acts, the American eventually finished his eventful morning in a tie for second spot, two strokes behind leader Jonathan Thomson. Canadian Tour player Stewart was a Sleeper pick in this week’s tournament preview due to him entering the top 1000 in the OWGR for the first time via T9 in the Czech Masters and T24 at the Nordea Masters the last two weeks. The confidence he had from those two performances was clear to see as he birdied his first five holes out of the gate (Nos. 10-14) although the magic wore off when he dropped shots at 3 and 4. Stewart was able to reverse the momentum, though, signing for red circles at 5, 7 and 8 to shoot just one higher than his opening 65 in Sweden a fortnight ago.

The invitee who plays out of the Golf Club of Tennessee and usually plies his trade on the Canadian Tour found himself in an unusually high position on a main tour leaderboard Thursday evening, but he showed no signs of being over-awed on Friday morning. Heading out in the late tee times of the morning wave his progress was neat enough through the back nine (his first). He ticked 12, 16 and 18, but erred at the 15th and did so again at the first hole. However six pars followed and, just as he seemed set to join Thorbjorn Olesen and Martin Kaymer in a share of the clubhouse advantage, he birdied the par-5 eighth to move one clear. He parred the ninth to take lunch top of those who played in the morning, but overnight leader Clement Sordet remained clear on the live leaderboard.