TRINITY, Texas – During a practice round for the Spirit International Amateur Championship, U.S. Amateur champion James Piot sidled up to his American teammates Rose Zhang and Rachel Heck and let them know his plan for victory.
“You guys are carrying us this week,” said Piot of the four-person American side that also included Texas A&M’s Sam Bennett. “You girls are the heart and soul of the team this week.”
That’s a pretty sound strategy given the immense talent of the two Stanford teammates: Zhang, the reigning World No. 1 women’s amateur and Heck the reigning NCAA women’s individual champion. The two also teamed up to help Team USA win the Walker Cup. On Thursday at Whispering Pines Golf Club, Piot did his part making six birdies en route to an opening-round 4-under 68. That propelled Team U.S. to shoot a total of 6-under 210, and trail Team Canada by two strokes in the Team Championship.
“We really got off to a pretty bad start,” said Team USA captain Stacy Lewis, of what at one time was as many as a six-stroke deficit, “but James and Rose really rallied and kind of saved the day for us.”
The Spirit features a unique format with some new wrinkles this year. The 80 competitors from 20 countries are competing for gold, silver and bronze medals over 54 holes of stroke play competition. Each country is represented by two women and two men amateur golfers. There are five concurrent competitions in play at The Spirit: Team Championship, Men’s Team, Women’s Team, Men’s Individual and Women’s Individual.
In a change for this year’s championship, the Team Championship format uses the best three scores from each four-person team. The Men’s and Women’s Team format combines both players’ individual scores. The Men’s and Women’s Individual format simply is each player’s gross score over the 54 holes.
Piot rebounded from a double bogey at the seventh hole after he tugged his drive left and into the thick stuff. Due to wet conditions, players were allowed to move their ball the length of a scorecard and Piot attempted a hero’s shot that went wrong.
“It was a college-kid mistake, I’d call it, thinking I could DeChambeau it out of there,” he said. “It turned my club over and my ball went into the trees 40 yards left. Making a six was a pretty fortunate break because it could’ve been really bad. I learned my lesson. I’ll just chip out next time.”
Zhang matched Piot’s six birdies, but also matched him with a double bogey on the card as she recorded a 3-under 69. At No. 4, Zhang pushed her drive way right and it led to a double bogey. “I think Rose hit the worst drive I’ve ever seen her hit,” said Lewis. “On days like this when it’s hard that’s when you find out how good someone is.”
The sweet swing of Rose Zhang, first tee at Whispering Pines @thespiritgolf. I want to swing like this when I grow up. pic.twitter.com/VltSvhY5Yr
— Adam Schupak (@AdamSchupak) November 4, 2021
Zhang showed her mettle, playing her final 14 holes in 5 under, and grabbed a one-stroke lead in the women’s individual competition over her fellow Stanford teammate, Switzerland’s Caroline Sturdza. Zhang credited her birdie at No. 10 with turning the tide.
“I rolled in a 25-footer,” she said. “I was able to bounce back from a couple of shaky holes when I started out. That hole really helped me turn it around.”
Bennett blamed a balky putter for four three-putt greens as he shot 1-over 73. Heck wasn’t making excuses but said she was feeling under the weather and had been sucking on cough drops all day as she shot an uncharacteristic 5-over 77. (Her score didn’t count in the competition.)
“I was proud of the fight,” Lewis said of her team. “James birdied the last two which was huge and Rose had a good finish, too. We’re still in it.”
Everyone is chasing Team Canada, which may have benefited from its experience in cold weather. Temperatures were hovering in the mid 40s in the morning but it didn’t seem to bother Team Canada, which combined for an 8-under 208 total in the Team Championship competition. The team was paced by Johnny Travale’s bogey-free, 5-under 67.
Travale, a senior at UCF, said four years in Orlando has thinned his blood. He wore four layers on the front nine, including a hoodie for the first time while playing golf that he kept over his head.
“It really helped because when the back of the neck starts getting cold that’s when it is over,” he said.
On 18, he stuck an 8-iron from 165 yards to 6 feet to cap off his round, which also secured a one-stroke lead over Piot in the men’s individual competition.
Travale’s teammate Henry Lee fired a 2-under 70 that included four birdies. Lee currently is tied for fourth place in the Men’s Individual competition. Savannah Grewal’s 1-under 71 was the third score that counted for Team Canada in the Team Championship competition. Grewal birdied the par-4 11th and 13th holes and logged her only bogey on the par-5 12th. She’s tied for third place in the Women’s Individual competition.
What an amazing first day of competition! We're so proud of all of these talented players, bringing their best to the course today. See you tomorrow! #2021SpiritInternational #SpiritGolf #cureheadaches pic.twitter.com/QwShqOcTqQ
— Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship (@thespiritgolf) November 5, 2021
Team France, the defending champions from 2019, holds third place in the Team Championship at 2-under 214.
Canada leads the Men’s Team competition at 7-under 137. Team USA is in second place at 3-under 141. Belgium holds third place at 2-under 142.
Switzerland sits atop of the Women’s Team competition at 2-under 142. Colombia and France share second place at 1-under 143.