84th Valentine Invitational R1: Collins Fires 65 to Lead by Four at Hermitage
Will Collins posts a 7-under 65 on the Sabot Course to grab a four-shot lead at the 84th Valentine Invitational, with Nicolas Brown, Blanton Farmer, and Winburne Hughes sharing second at 3-under.
Will Collins of Keswick Golf Club in Charlottesville set the pace on Day 1 of the 84th Valentine Invitational, posting a 7-under 65 on the Sabot Course at Hermitage Country Club to take a four-shot lead over the mid-am field. Nicolas Brown of Greenville, N.C., Richmond's Blanton Farmer, and Winburne Hughes of Memphis share second at 3-under 69, while 2023 Valentine champion Sam Beach, Joey Jordan, and Andy DeKeuster are tied for fifth at 2-under 70. Six players sit one shot further back at 1-under 71, including Hermitage members Kevin Miller and Connor Hill. Live scoring and full tournament coverage can be found on the Valentine Invitational tournament hub here.
Collins will carry the outright lead into Round 2 on the Manakin Course tomorrow, with a packed chaser group looking to close the gap. Defending champion John Hunter and 2007 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Trip Kuehne were unable to break par on the Sabot Course and will need to make a move over the final 36 holes. The 54-hole championship wraps up Sunday. midamgolfHQ will be tracking the action all weekend from Manakin-Sabot.