Hunter Eichhorn watches his approach shot fly on the ninth hole. He already has four top-10 finishes this season on the Korn Ferry Tour, and leads the LECOM Suncoast Classic after round one at nine under par.
Photo by Jack Nelson
East County
Sports
Share
A sunny day turned soggy as thunderstorms forced an early end to the first round of the LECOM Suncoast Classic on April 2 at Lakewood National Golf Club.
Hunter Eichhorn, a 27-year-old from Carney, Michigan, led the field before play was suspended for the day just after 6:30 p.m. He carded a 62 — good for nine under par — with five birdies, two eagles and no bogeys to his name.
Behind him is Jay Card III, having shot eight under par. There's also a six-way tie for third place, including Alvaro Ortiz, who's six under par through 11 holes.
A former champion is in the mix. Hayden Buckley, who won in 2021, is four strokes shy of the lead. No golfer in the history of the Suncoast Classic has won twice.
Hayden Buckley, the 2021 LECOM Suncoast Classic champion, hits a drive on the second hole. He finished five under par and was tied for ninth place when play was suspended.
Photo by Jack Nelson
Blades Brown watches his putt approach the hole on the 11th green. The 18-year-old American, ranked No. 173 in the world, was even through 10 holes.
Photo by Jack Nelson
Alex Price watches his drive on the sixth hole. Formerly a four-time All-American at Christopher Newport, he finished two over par.
Photo by Jack Nelson
Ben Martin pauses to read the fourth green. The 38-year-old American, who has two Korn Ferry Tour wins, finished four under par — five strokes behind the leader.
Photo by Jack Nelson
Brandon Wu chips a shot toward the 10th green. The winner of the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour Championship was three over par through 12 holes.
Photo by Jack Nelson
Ricardo Celia removes the flag from the sixth hole before attempting a putt. The 34-year-old Colombian finished three under par and tied for 29th place at the time of stoppage.
Photo by Jack Nelson
Cristobal Del Solar hits a sand shot on the 12th hole. He was two over par through 10 holes.
Photo by Jack Nelson
Barend Botha places his ball before a putt on the third green. The 24-year-old South African finished two over par, but was outside the top 100.
Photo by Jack Nelson
Ian Holt hits a drive on the 11th hole. Currently ranked No. 110 in the world, he was one over par through 12 holes before play was suspended.
Photo by Jack Nelson
Norman Xiong hits his approach shot on the 11th hole. He has two Korn Ferry Tour wins in his career, but April 2, was even through 12 holes.
Jack Nelson is the sports reporter for the East County and Sarasota/Siesta Key Observers. As a proud UCLA graduate and Massachusetts native, Nelson also writes for NBA.com and previously worked for MassLive. His claim to fame will always be that one time he sat at the same table as LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
