COLUMBUS, Ohio – Things have been going pretty well recently for Justin Tereshko. The Lexington, Ky., resident and former Guilford College men’s golf coach is 18 holes away from upping the ante on his hot streak. Through 54 holes at the 115th Trans-Mississippi Amateur Championship, the 28-year-old leads a talented field of mostly college standouts with a score of 13-under-par 203.
Tereshko, a 2012 Transylvania University graduate, turned in a tidy 4-under 68 in Thursday’s third round at venerable Brookside Golf & Country Club, an old school parkland course that demands accuracy from tee to green. He leads by two shots over a pair of Texans: TCU senior Hayden Springer from Trophy Club and incoming Texas freshman Coody Pierceson from Plano.
So what’s been going so well for Tereshko lately? Well, he married the love of his life less than two weeks ago on June 30. He won the North Carolina State Amateur in 2017 and the North Carolina State Open in 2015. He resigned from Guildford a week ago, but he did it for the best intentions. He wanted to move to his new bride Kelsey’s hometown in Kentucky. They’ll honeymoon in the Bahamas in a couple weeks.
“This is my first tournament as a married man,” Tereshko said on Tuesday after opening the championship with a 6-under 66. “I’m still getting used to playing with the ring on my finger. You gotta love my wife. She let me leave town and play in a golf tournament a week and a half after our wedding.”
Tereshko dropped in birdies on three of his first four holes Thursday to jump into the lead. After two bogeys on Nos. 5 and 9, he added three more birdies on the back nine.
“A couple tap-in birdies are always nice to start off your round,” he said. “I was a little sloppy on the second half of the front nine, but I hit it to about a foot on No. 10 to get me going again.”
In addition to leading the championship, Tereshko also is running away with the Low Mid-Amateur honors. He set his sights on the bigger prize from Day 1, however.
“Any tournament I play in, no matter if it’s the Trans-Miss or a local muni thing, the goal is always to hoist the trophy at the end of the week,” he said. “Obviously you’re not going to win every tournament, but I’d say winning was the goal this week, or at least putting myself in position to win.”
To accomplish his goal, he’ll have to fend off some of the better college players in the country, including the two who are just two shots back.
Springer played one of the steadiest rounds of the day. He went bogey-free for a 5-under 67 to get to 11-under overall. Birdies on Holes 3, 5, 11, 14 and 18 has him in contention.
Coody, who in June won the AJGA’s Thunderbird Invitational and Texas Legends Junior Tour’s prestigious Byron Nelson Junior Championship, came in Thursday with a 4-under 68 that included a holed-out bunker shot for birdie on the par-3 eighth hole.
“On 11, I had a 15-footer for eagle,” he said. “I didn’t quite make it, but that was an easy birdie. Tomorrow, I need to be really straight off the tee and give myself lots of birdie looks. You’re not going to make every putt, but if you consistently hit it good and give yourself enough looks, they have to go in eventually.”
Tied for fourth place at 10-under 206 are Duke senior Alex Smalley from Greensboro, N.C., and former Augusta State standout Jake Marriott from Naples, Fla. Smalley holed out for eagle on No. 17 to shoot 4-under 68 in the third round; Marriott shot 1-over 71. Five players are tied for sixth place at 9-under 207.
Tereshko and all his pursuers are hoping to join the distinguished list of past Trans-Miss Amateur Champions, such as Jack Nicklaus (1958, ’59), Ben Crenshaw (1972), Gus Moreland (1932, ’33), Charles Coe (1947, ’49, ’52, ’56), Deane Beman (1960) and Mike McCoy (2000, ‘08). In more recent years, current professional players such as Bryson Dechambeau (2013), Kelly Kraft (2011), Will Zalatoris (2013, ’16) and Cameron Champ (2017) have added their names to the Trans-Miss Amateur trophy.
The final round of the 115th Trans-Miss Amateur begins Friday at 7:30 a.m. For pairings, click here. For more information on the championship, click here.
115th Trans-Miss Amateur Championship
Brookside Golf & Country Club
Columbus, Ohio
July 12, 2018
ROUND THREE RESULTS
Pos. Player Hometown R1 R2 Total Gross
1 Tereshko, Justin Lexington, KY 66 69 68 203
T2 Coody, Pierceson Plano, TX 66 71 68 205
T2 Springer, Hayden T. Club, TX 70 68 67 205
T4 Marriott, Jake Naples, FL 70 65 71 206
T4 Smalley, Alex G’sboro, NC 70 68 68 206
T6 Winstead, Trey B. Rouge, LA 69 68 70 207
T6 Erickson, Dan C. Station, TX 70 70 67 207
T6 Lozano, Zander F.O. Ranch, TX 67 71 69 207
T6 Smith, Zach Goleta, CA 73 66 68 207
T6 Bridgeman, Jacob Inman, SC 74 67 66 207
11 Mitchell, Malcolm Germany, KZN 71 69 68 208
T12 Thomas, Chip Knoxville, TN 68 68 73 209
T12 Townsend, Gray Dallas, TX 69 69 71 209
T12 Spencer, Andy P. Village, KS 68 70 71 209
T12 Vining, Tom Sioux Falls, SD 67 71 71 209
T12 Lee, Walker Houston, TX 72 68 69 209
T12 Morgan, Jediah H. Vale, QLD 72 67 70 209
T12 Perras, Michael Pasadena, TX 70 68 71 209
T12 Padgett, Wells Wichita, KS 72 70 67 209
T20 Barron, Haydn Perth, WA 71 69 70 210
T20 Salinda, Isaiah San Fran, CA 64 75 71 210
T20 Smith, Brandon Frisco, TX 67 77 66 210
T20 Lyras, John Sydney, NSW 69 71 70 210
T20 Hale, Blaine Dallas, TX 71 69 70 210
T25 Hutchins, Matt Naples, FL 70 65 76 211
T25 Travale, Johnathan Victoria, BC 70 74 67 211
T25 Ullestad, Trevor Jewell, IA 71 67 73 211
T25 Barbaree, Philip Shreveport, LA 71 72 68 211
T25 Hillier, Charles Lawrence, KS 75 68 68 211
T30 Bennett, Brett H. Beach, CA 71 67 74 212
T30 Walker, Matthew Ottumwa, IA 70 73 69 212
T30 Hutchison, Thomas San Jose, CA 70 71 71 212
T33 Steyn, Marco Cape Town, WC 70 71 72 213
T33 Artac, Wes Leander, TX 70 74 69 213
T35 Sanders, Michael Davidson, NC 69 73 72 214
T35 Lowe, Matthew F’dale, NY 71 71 72 214
T35 Laskin, David Elk Grove, CA 68 72 74 214
T35 Barela, Griffin Lakewood, CO 73 70 71 214
T35 Piot, James Canton, MI 73 69 72 214
T35 Barker, Lachlan Willunga, SA 72 72 70 214
T35 Ieremia, Denzel Ames, IA 72 72 70 214
T42 Squires, Austin Union, KY 72 69 74 215
T42 Cress, Michael Columbus, OH 72 68 75 215
T42 Cummins, Quade W’ford, OK 72 71 72 215
T42 Doyle, Ben La Jolla, CA 73 70 72 215
T42 Ott, AJ Fort Collins, CO 73 70 72 215
T42 Majors, Draegen Tulsa, OK 73 71 71 215
T42 Painton, Spencer Aurora, CO 74 70 71 215
T42 Anderson, Scott Columbus, OH 71 73 71 215
T42 Hahn, Jordan Spring Grove, IL 73 71 71 215
T51 Larkin, Wyatt Morganton, GA 74 68 74 216
T51 Sigel, Ben D’haven, MN 72 69 75 216
T51 Soosman, Spencer W. Village, CA 70 73 73 216
T51 Wilcox, Sean Frisco, TX 71 73 72 216
T51 Hathcoat, Blake Fresno, CA 72 72 72 216
T56 Fernandez, Ben Southlake, TX 72 70 75 217
T56 Williamson, Andrew Plainview, TX 72 71 74 217
T56 Saulez, Matt N’ham Rd, KZN 71 73 73 217
T56 Moorman, Alex Centerville, IA 72 72 73 217
60 Staiano, Jake Cherry Hills, CO 75 69 74 218
T61 Gore, Tanner El Paso, TX 75 68 76 219
T61 Korte, Chris Littleton, CO 70 74 75 219
T61 Vandette, Chris Victoria, BC 69 74 76 219
T61 Casey, Riley Tuscola, TX 69 75 75 219
65 Gilkison, Josh Springboro, OH 72 72 76 220
66 Coody, Parker Plano, TX 71 70 80 221
67 Reichert, Ben Tampa, NY 69 72 81 222
———————-MISSED THE CUT———————-
Burrows, Cody Chickasha, OK 72 73 145
Callens, Peyton Victoria, BC 75 70 145
Dunkle, Kyler Parker, CO 73 72 145
Hitchner, Derek Minn’polis, MN 73 72 145
Kinney, Tripp Ames, IA 70 75 145
Mishoe, James Cary, NC 72 73 145
Stevens, Sam Wichita, KS 70 75 145
Wick, Josh Columbus, OH 73 72 145
Cootes, Roy Rolling Hills, CA 75 70 145
Fendt, Jake Suwanee, GA 68 77 145
Furuya, Ryoto Iowa City, IA 73 72 145
Grenus, Evan Glastonbury, CT 70 75 145
Kozlowski, Jack Columbus, OH 72 73 145
Seiple, Josh Castle Rock, CO 73 72 145
Brereton, Darcy Melbourne, VIC 75 71 146
Hudson, Andrew Fort Worth, TX 69 77 146
Schlottman, Ben Advance, NC 74 72 146
Bergeron, Jacob Slidell, LA 71 75 146
Cox, Evan Ashland, KY 75 71 146
Flavin, Patrick Highwood, IL 74 72 146
Liston, Matt Louisville, KY 76 70 146
Nikitas, Charlie Glenview, IL 75 71 146
Ruiz, Luis Conway, SC 71 75 146
Solomon, Camden Dublin, OH 71 75 146
Cover, Patrick Cornelius, NC 74 73 147
Fredborg, Travis Selkirk, MB 74 73 147
Grayson, Elliott Shelby, NC 72 75 147
McInroe, Travis Plano, TX 74 73 147
Nome, Mason Houston, TX 75 72 147
Werbylo, Trevor Tucson, AZ 76 71 147
Cheung, Matthew Hong Kong, HK 70 77 147
Johnson, Kaleb Naples, FL 73 74 147
Lee, Henry Coquitlam, BC 74 73 147
Morgan, David Naples, FL 75 72 147
Wick, Justin Columbus, OH 74 73 147
Yeom, Chris S. Orange, NJ 74 73 147
Butler, Prescott Westbury, NY 74 74 148
Gliege, Josh Eagle, ID 76 72 148
James, Zach Whitesboro, TX 75 73 148
Johnson, Tyler Knoxville, TN 70 78 148
Kelley, Michael Westerville, OH 72 76 148
Lowe, Logan G. Valley, CA 73 75 148
Ohr, Brian Wheeling, IL 76 72 148
Sargent, Billy Tom G’town, KY 78 70 148
Suppa, Kyle Honolulu, HI 72 76 148
Walker, Andrew Holt, MI 73 75 148
Clark, James Fortson, GA 72 76 148
Sear, Maxwell Unionville, ON 72 76 148
Albin, Ben Santa Fe, NM 77 72 149
Longbella, Thomas Ch. Falls, WI 73 76 149
Michel, Lukas Warragul, VIC 70 79 149
Costello, Nicholas Austin, TX 74 75 149
Eklund, Jacob Carbondale, IL 71 78 149
Kettler, Max Southlake, TX 78 71 149
Reeves, Brad W’bridge, CA 75 74 149
Yakubov, Connor Columbus, OH 76 73 149
Johnson, Thomas Norman, OK 75 75 150
Mattiace, Michael Jacksonville, FL 75 75 150
Murlick, Matt Winnetka, IL 76 74 150
Lawson, Andrew Dallas, TX 75 75 150
Ramsey, Reese Austin, TX 75 75 150
Grabeman, Kevin Columbus, OH 74 77 151
Kendziorski, Austin G’town, WI 79 72 151
Swanson, Josh Austin, TX 77 74 151
Ishika, Koichiro Tempe, AZ 78 73 151
Organisak, Matt Sudbury, MA 74 77 151
Tolan, Matt Eau Claire, WI 70 81 151
Paxton, Easton Riverton, WY 76 76 152
Woolsey, Noah Pleasanton, CA 75 77 152
Luger, Thomas Leawood, KS 75 77 152
Woon, U Minn Jacksonville, FL 79 73 152
Tracy, Zach Houston, TX 76 79 155
Connolly, Daniel San Fran, CA 77 78 155
Wood, Adam Zionsville, IN 77 79 156
Yakubov, Evan Columbus, OH 76 83 159
Elliott, Matt Columbus, OH 81 80 161
Byrd, Marcus M’boro, TN 74 WD WD
