Wilfong, Irving tied for lead at U.S. Mid-Amateur

Sunday’s second round has been postponed due to the forecast for severe weather. Play is slated to resume on Monday

Credit: HANDOUT

Credit: HANDOUT

Sunday’s second round has been postponed due to the forecast for severe weather. Play is slated to resume on Monday

Chad Wilfong, 37, of Charlotte and Joshua Irving, 31, of Dallas each shot 3-under par Saturday to share the lead after the first round of stroke play in the 2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.

The United States Golf Association (USGA) has postponed Sunday’s second round due to the forecast for severe weather. Play is slated to resume on Monday.

Wilfong carded a 67 at the par-70, 7,207-yard Capital City Club’s Crabapple Course, while Irving fashioned a 68 at the par-71, 6,784-yard Atlanta National Golf Club, which is serving as the championship’s stroke-play co-host.

Wilfong, who is playing in his first USGA championship after competing on the Nationwide Tour (now Web.com) from 2003-06, posted a bogey-free round at Capital City Club-Crabapple.

Wilfong rolled in a 45-foot birdie putt on the par-3 sixth hole and finished off his opening nine by striking a 6-iron approach to within 8 feet to set up another birdie. He used a 60-degree wedge to get up and down from in front the green for his third birdie at the 537-yard, par-5 12th.

Irving, who advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2015 and 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateurs, recorded four birdies in six holes during his outward nine. He sank putts of 5 and 6 feet on holes 15 and 16, respectively, and holed a 25-footer on No. 17.

Bradford Tilley, 34, of Easton, Conn., and Justin Kaplan, 29, of Houston, Texas, each carded a 69 at Atlanta National and are among four players at 2-under par. Tilley posted five birdies and two bogeys. Kaplan overcame a shaky start by birdieing three of his last five holes.

The U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.