Troutman's 64 Helps Kansas Take 2-Stroke First-Round Lead

St. Albans, Mo. – Between his job in the medical supplies business and raising two young boys, Jon Troutman doesn’t have a lot of spare time for golf.

But you wouldn’t know it by the score he posted in Wednesday’s first round of the 2009 USGA Men’s State Team Championship at the Country Club of St. Albans’ Lewis and Clark Course.

The 33-year-old from Spring Hill, Kan., carded a championship-record tying 7-under-par 64 to help Kansas take a two-stroke lead over South Carolina and 2003 champion Tennessee on the 7,150-yard, par-71 layout. Coupled with the 69 by 22-year-old Dodge Kemmer of Wichita, Kansas shot 9-under 133 in the 3-count-2 format. The team also received a non-scoring 76 from 50-year-old Bryan Norton of Mission Hills.

Georgia stood five strokes back in fourth at 138, with two-time defending-champion Texas in fifth at 139.

Scoring conditions were ideal with no wind, temperatures in the 70s and soft greens, the result of the course receiving 1.3 inches of rain Monday night.

Mark Anderson of South Carolina carded a bogey-free 65 on Wednesday and has his team two strokes off the lead. (John Mummert/USGA)

Troutman, who tied the Men’s State Team 18-hole record shared by Nevada’s Steve Sheehan (1997) and Maine’s Ricky Jones (2003), certainly took advantage and stood a stroke ahead of Mark Anderson, 23, of Beaufort, S.C., and 31-year-old Chris Connolly of the District of Columbia, both of whom shot 65s. Mark Strickland, 40, of Woodstock, Ga., had a 66.

“Shocking,” said Troutman of his bogey-free round. “Between work and my two boys (ages 2½ years and 5 months), I’m pretty busy.”

But Kemmer, who finished his college eligibility at Stanford University this past spring, wasn’t all too surprised by the round, especially after seeing the way Troutman struck the ball in Tuesday’s final practice round.

“Obviously he straightened a few things out and made a couple of putts and that’s all you have to do out here,” said Kemmer, a fifth-year senior who plans to complete his human biology degree next spring. “We knew we had a pretty good team coming in and hopefully we can make it last all week.”

Kemmer got hot down the stretch, playing the last five holes in three under par. He drove the green at the 342-yard dogleg-right par-4 fifth hole and reached the 600-yard par-5 sixth in two to set up birdies. He then knocked it to 8 feet on No. 8 for another birdie.

Starting on No. 10, Troutman birdied holes 11, 12, 14 and 17 and completed the run with birdies at one, six and eight.

Nevertheless, Troutman remained humble.

“I honestly think I am the weak link of the squad,” said Troutman, whose lowest score is a 61 at Osawatomie Golf Course, his home club an hour south of Kansas City. “We’ll see tomorrow. Tomorrow might be a different day. I hope not. I hope to continue to play well.”

Like Troutman, Anderson also played a bogey-free round. The former University of South Carolina star actually remained an amateur through last fall and this summer to make a run at the 2009 USA Walker Cup team. Not making the 10-man squad left a sour taste, but he was excited to represent South Carolina in this event, which will be his last as an amateur. Anderson advanced to the first stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School last week at a pre-qualifier in Nebraska.

After missing a short birdie opportunity at 13, Anderson converted three straight birdies from 14 and coupled with the 1-under 70 from 50-year-old Steve Liebler of Irmo, South Carolina stands in solid position with two rounds remaining.

“I didn’t do anything special,” said Anderson, who won the 2009 South Carolina Amateur and the prestigious Players Amateur in 2008. “I made a really good save on 10 for par. That was really the only trouble I was in today.

“All in all, I feel like it could have been a little bit better, but I am really happy with what I have.”

Tim Jackson, 50, of Germantown, Tenn., was quite happy with his 4-under 67, even with a bogey at No. 18. Coupled with the 68 from 34-year-old Rob Garland of Nashville, Tennessee also has positioned itself for a chance to win a second MST title. Jackson, who was the low amateur at the U.S. Senior Open and the stroke-play medalist at last month’s U.S. Amateur, continued his torrid play.

“You just get on a roll and get confident,” said Jackson, the 1994 and 2001 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion and a two-time USA Walker Cup team member. “I’m excited to be here. I love this tournament … and I’ve got some horses.

“This course suits this team. These guys hit it high and hit it far. And in these conditions, it suits these guys real good. I’m just glad to help.”

Strickland recovered from a bogey-bogey start to shoot his 66. He carded the same score in the final round of the 2007 MST in Texas to help Georgia finish second.

Georgia also received a 1-over 72 from 37-year-old David Noll Jr.

Strickland jump-started his round by recording four consecutive birdies from No. 5. He added another birdie at the par-4 10th with a 30-foot chip-in from the fringe.

“That was good, especially after making the four birdies in a row,” said Strickland, who regained his amateur status in 1998 after spending five years playing professional golf in South America, Asia and on the NGA Hooters Tour. “It was just one of those days. I hit it well and I made a bunch of putts.”

Although the Georgia men have never won this championship, their female counterparts have registered two USGA Women’s State Team Championship titles, including earlier this month at Sycamore Hills Golf Club in Fort Wayne, Ind.

But Strickland said the men’s squad received a call from the Georgia State Golf Association right after the women took the title on Sept. 3.

“They were saying, ‘OK boys, it’s your time,’ ” said Strickland. “At breakfast, we said anything under par today and we’ll take it.”

Connolly, meanwhile, had a chance to tie the championship record, but a bogey at the par-3 seventh left him a shot off the pace.

“I had a great caddie,” said Connolly of Ed Duba, a local from the St. Louis area. “It was fun. We had perfect weather. Literally, I hit it to 1 or 2 feet on five different occasions.”

The 54-hole championship, which has been conducted biennially since 1995, continues with the second round on Thursday and final round on Friday.

 Story written by USGA Digital Media staff writer David Shefter. E-mail him with questions or comments at dshefter@usga.org.

St. Albans, Mo. – Results from the first round of the 2009 USGA Men’s State Team Championship being conducted on the 7,150-yard, par-71 Lewis and Clark Course at the Country Club of St. Albans. (Note: The two best scores are used in determining the team’s daily total):

1-Kansas (133): Jon Troutman, Spring Hill 32-32--64; Dodge Kemmer, Wichita 33-36--69; Bryan Norton, Mission Hills 38-38--76

T2-South Carolina (135): Mark Anderson, Beaufort 33-32--65; Steve Liebler, Irmo 36-34--70; Jarrett Grimes, Columbia 39-38--77

T2-Tennessee (135): Tim Jackson, Germantown 32-35--67; Rob Garland, Nashville 34-34--68; Todd Burgan, Knoxville 34-40--74

4-Georgia (138): Mark Strickland, Woodstock 33-33--66; David Noll Jr, Dalton 35-37--72; Jeff Knox, Augusta 36-38--74

5-Texas (139): Steve Galko, Dallas 34-35--69; Rob Couture, Dallas 32-38--70; John Bearrie, Arlington 40-35--75

T6-Illinois (141): Carlos Sainz, Elgin 34-34--68; John Ehrgott, Peoria 35-38--73; Todd Mitchell, Bloomington 39-39--78

T6-Nevada (141): Dick Wenzel, Sparks 34-36--70; Brady Exber, Las Vegas 35-36--71; Joe Sanders, Incline Village 38-33--71

T6-Pennsylvania (141): Nathan Smith, Pittsburgh 34-35--69; Mike Van Sickle, Wexford 36-36--72; Sean Knapp, Oakmont 37-35--72

T6-Rhode Island (141): Bobby Leopold, Cranston 37-33--70; Brad Valois, Warwick 35-36--71; Charlie Blanchard, North Providence 35-40--75

T6-Massachusetts (141): Brian Higgins, Bellingham 35-34--69; John Hadges, North Easton 36-36--72; Frank Vana, Shrewsbury 39-36--75

T6-Mississippi (141): Ben Snow, Hattiesburg 35-35--70; Clay Homan, Starkville 37-34--71; Steve Wilson, Ocean Springs 42-38--80

T12-West Virginia (142): Pat Carter, Huntington 32-36--68; Anthony Reale, Charleston 36-38--74; Michael Veres, Logan 37-39--76

T12-Florida (142): David Johnson, Palm Bay 36-33--69; Tommy Murray, Orange Park 36-37--73; Tim Hume, Tampa 39-37--76

T14-Washington (143): Erik Hanson, Kirkland 36-35--71; Joel Dahmen, Clarkston 35-37--72; Derek Berg, Kenmore 37-35--72

T14-California (143): Tim Mickelson, San Diego 34-36--70; George Gandranata, Emmeryville 35-38--73; Jason Bittick, Ladera Ranch 40-35--75

T14-Ohio (143): Billy Williamson, Cincinnati 32-39--71; Jimmy Henderson, Lebanon 35-37--72; Robert Gerwin, Cincinnati35-38--73

T14-District of Columbia (143): Chris Connolly, Washington 34-31--65; Mychael Cohn, Washington 39-39--78; Kevin McDonnell, Washington 43-42--85

T18-Maryland (144): Matthew Bassler, Catonsville 34-37--71; Chris Baloga, Parkville 37-36--73; Zachary Lese, Silver Spring 40-39--79

T18-Hawaii (144): Ryan Perez, Ewa Beach 37-35--72; Lorens Chan, Honolulu 35-37--72; David Saka, Waipahu 36-38--74

T20-Virginia (145): Pat Tallent, Vienna 36-34--70; Scott Shingler, Haymarket 36-39--75; Keith Decker, Martinsville 38-41--79

T20-Missouri (145): Skip Berkmeyer, St Louis 35-36--71; Darren Lundgren, Grover 32-42--74; Brian Haskell, St. Joseph 36-39--75

T20-New Jersey (145): Michael Stamberger, Plainfield 35-37--72; Thomas Gramigna, Haddonfield 36-37--73; Michael Deo, Berkeley Heights 38-38--76

T20-Louisiana (145): Robby Going, Lake Charles 34-37--71; Robby McWilliams, Bossier City 39-35--74; Matt Nicholas, Lake Charles 41-36--77

T24-Michigan (146): Eric Spencer, Bloomfield Hills 38-34--72; Tom Werkmeister, Kentwood 38-36--74; Greg Davies, West Bloomfield 35-41--76

T24-New York (146): Jeff Wolniewicz, West Seneca 35-35--70; John Ervasti, Scarborough 35-41--76; Albert Rabil III, Remsenburg 39-40--79

T24-Alabama (146): Steve Hudson, Birmingham 38-35--73; Will Swift, Hoover 37-36--73; Vic Kyatt, Hoover 37-43--80

T24-Colorado (146): Michael Harrington, Colorado Springs 35-38--73; Jon Lindstrom, Broomfield 39-34--73; Jonathan Marsico, Denver 40-37--77

T24-Utah (146): Tyson Lund, Taylorsville 35-36--71; Darrin Overson, Provo 39-36--75; Jeff Jolley, Lehi 37-41--78

T24-Oregon (146): Chris Polski, Eugene 33-38--71; Eric Fiskum, Salem 39-36--75; Jim Dunlap, Tigard 38-39--77

T24-Arizona (146): Michael Wog II, Scottsdale 37-35--72; Chris Kessler, Scottsdale 34-40--74; Dalen Linnerson, Tempe 36-39--75

T31-North Carolina (147): Scott Harvey, Greensboro 36-37--73; Uly Grisette, Clemmons38-36--74; Paul Simson, Raleigh 36-39--75

T31-Delaware (147): Jay Whitby, Wyoming 36-36--72; Greg Wolfe, Newark 37-38--75; Tim Freeh,  Milton 36-39--75

T34-Iowa (148): Mike McCoy, West Des Moines 37-36--73; Jon Brown, Urbandale 38-37--75; Gene Elliott, West Des Moines 35-40--75

T34-Indiana (148): Randy Nichols, Brookville 37-36--73; Skip Runnels, Richmond 36-39--75; Bob Stephens, Indianapolis 38-44--82

T34-Maine (148): Joseph Alvarez, Hampden 36-38--74; Ricky Jones, Thomaston 38-36--74; Jesse Speirs, Bangor 38-39--77

T34-Arkansas (148): Neal Westbrook, Russellville 36-38--74; Ron Mangold, Pocahontas 36-38--74; Wes McNulty, Pine Bluff 36-38--74

T34-Minnesota (148): Sam Schmitz, Minneapolis 36-37--73; Troy Johnson, Maple Grove 35-40--75; Jon Sauer, St. Cloud 37-38--75

T34-South Dakota (148): Tim Kalil, Piedmont 36-35--71; Brodie Hullinger, Sioux Falls 37-40--77; Ryan Jansa, Sioux Falls 36-45--81

T34-Kentucky (148): Andy Roberts, Owensboro 35-38--73; Jesse Massie, Louisville 36-39--75; Tyler Sharpe, Greensburg39-38--77

T41-Nebraska (149): Andrew Storm, Omaha 34-39--73; John Sajevic, Fremont 38-38--76; Jayson Brueggemann, Lincoln 40-39--79

T41-Vermont (149): Brian Albertazzi, Killington 34-40--74; Garren Poirier, Killington 36-39--75; Bill Hadden, Manchester Village 40-36--76

43-New Mexico (150): Matthew Williams, Albuquerque 35-38--73; Anton Salome, Socorro 36-41--77; Patrick Hanlon, Las Cruces 39-38--77

T44-Oklahoma (152): Brad Kropp, Edmond 37-39--76; Alan Bratton, Stillwater 36-40--76; Michael Hughett, Owasso 43-36--79

T44-Wisconsin (152): Dustin Schwab, Lodi 34-39--73; Robert Gregorski, Menasha 37-42--79; Kevin Cahill, Waukesha 40-39--79

T46-New Hampshire (153): Craig Steckowych, Greenland 38-37--75; Mark Stevens, Concord 36-42--78; Daniel Arvanitis, Manchester 40-39--79

T46-Wyoming (153): Mike Urbatchka, Cody 39-36--75; Nate Wilson, Sheridan 39-39--78; Mark Isakson, Sheridan 37-43--80

T48-Montana (155): Jerry Pearsall, Billings 40-37--77; Bill Dunn, Missoula 37-41--78; Spencer Williams, Helena 40-39--79

T48-North Dakota (155): Rick Kuhn, Bismarck 37-39--76; Jeff Lamp, Fargo 38-41--79; Mike Huber, Bismarck 42-39--81

50-Idaho (156): Todd Points, Star 34-42--76; Eric Peterson, Nampa 40-40--80; Norris Dancer, Star 44-41--85

51-Alaska (167): Casey Cusack, Anchorage 41-41--82; Hal Bret Willardson, Palmer 42-43--85; Tyrone Paulson, Anchorage 44-44--88