Last-second addition Cox Pruette making most of Epson Tour start in Michigan
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. - The Battle Creek Country Club was a friendly host, allowing a lot of good scores, as the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship came to town for a 12th time, starting Friday, June 6.
Out of the 144-player field, 58 broke par for the opening day, and 15 carded rounds of 68 or better. The top of the leaderboard was crowded, with Carley Cox Pruette, Samantha Vodry, and Maddie Szeryk all tied at the top after turning in 6-under rounds to start their tournaments.
The FireKeepers event is part of the EPSON Tour - the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour.
Locally, Battle Creek's Amiyah Gibson shot a 12-over 84 in the first round. The Lakeview high schooler entered the tournament as an amateur on a sponsor's exemption. Gibson will tee off for round two at 2:20 p.m. on Saturday, June 7.
MORE: Battle Creek's Gibson will golf against pros at a course her grandpa wasn't allowed to play
Cox Pruette, who played collegiately at East Carolina University, found out she was in the tournament just 24 hours before she teed off, making her the last player in the field for the week.
The 28-year-old has good memories and experience at Battle Creek Country Club, making her first professional start at the course. The experience paid off as Cox Pruette made her way around bogey-free, adding six birdies to the card. Because of her ranking on the priority list, she has only played in one event prior to this week and is now playing with house money. She was 1 over through her first 15 holes on Saturday.
'I just kind of feel at home on the course, and that's a weird thing to say,' said Cox Pruette. 'Just got some good memories here, and I've made some good connections and friends here. So, it's always good to return back, and yeah, I just love the course. It just fits my eye well, so it definitely helps when you get that last-minute call.'
Contact Bill Broderick at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on X/Twitter @billbroderick
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