BETHESDA -- Congressional Country Club won the opening round of the 73rd Maryland Open yesterday, yielding four subpar rounds to the 151 starters, all at 71.
Sharing the honor were amateurs Larry Storck of the CC of Maryland and Randy Morris of Congressional, and pros Ricky Touma of Norbeck and Evan Hileman of The Beach Club.
Hileman was the only one of the four not to bogey the 18th hole, the course's normal No. 17, a 445-yard downhill par-4 to a green bordering a lake. To complete the back nine, No. 18, a par-3, is played as No. 10.
Morris was the most consistent of the leaders with three birdies and two bogeys. Touma, low amateur in this event in 1988, had five birdies, four bogeys, and Storck four birdies, three bogeys.
The day's most unusual round among the contenders was posted by amateur Shane Patterson, a former Maryland State Amateur champion from Norbeck.
His 38-3472 included one double-bogey on the front nine, and another on the back, which he offset with four back-nine birdies. The four were the most for either nine.
For the round, he missed only two fairways and two greens.
Others at the par-matching number for the 7,061-yard Montgomery County course were pros -- Steve Papanek, an assistant pro at Kenwood; Webb Heintzelman, a three-time runner-up in this championship from Glenn Dale; Wayne DeFrancesco of Woodholme; and 1991 runner-up Dennis Winters.
Larry Ringer of CC Woodmore, bidding to win this event in three different decades, had a 73, the best effort among the three past winners in the field. The others were amateur Del Ponchock (1992), CC Woodmore, 74, and defender Glen Barrett, Glenn Dale pro, 77.
Ringer, who won in 1972 (the last time it was held here) and 1980, ran off 14 successive pars from No. 3 through No. 16, then wound up with a birdie at the last hole. There, he holed a 30-foot putt for his 3.
Three-time Baltimore Public Links champion Charlie Narciso was in a group at 74; Joe Franz, Elkridge Club, Don Slebodnik Night Hawk Golf Center, and John McNaney, Country Road, were at 75, and Bob Kaestner, a former Baltimore City Amateur champion, was at 76.
Joining Ringer at 73 were fellow pros Phil Henry (Elkridge), Jack Skilling (Columbia) and Bob Dolan (Lakewood) and amateurs Phil Fairbanks (Hobbit's Glen), Justin Klein (Baltimore CC) and Pat Tallent (Congressional).
The cut fell at 79, and 84 players at that number and better will continue play this morning.
Ricky Touma .......... 35-3671
a-Larry Storck ....... 35-3671
a-Randy Morris ....... 35-3671
Evan Hileman ......... 37-3471
Steve Papanek ........ 37-3572
a-Shane Patterson .... 38-3472
Webb Heintzelman ..... 36-3672
Wayne DeFrancesco .... 36-3672
Dennis Winters ....... 37-3572
a-Phil Fairbanks ..... 38-3573
Phil Henry ........... 35-3873
a-Justin Klein ....... 38-3573
Larry Ringer ......... 37-3673
Jack Skilling ........ 37-3673
Bob Dolan ............ 37-3673
Pat Tallent .......... 38-3573
a-Bob Bilbo Jr. ...... 35-3974
a-Bill Murphy ........ 36-3874
a-Richard Holland .... 37-3774
Tim Holbrook ......... 38-3674
a-Matt Fitzgerald .... 39-3574
a-Charles Narciso .... 36-3874
a-Del Ponchock ....... 38-3674
Steve Bosdosh ........ 38-3775
a-Robert Rehman ...... 34-4175
Dave Quelland ........ 38-3775
Joe Franz ............ 38-3775
John McNaney ......... 37-3875
Joe Wood ............. 38-3775
Don Slebodnik ........ 38-3775
Mike Ahrnsbrak ....... 39-3675
Scott Seymour ........ 39-3475
a-Steve Sutton ....... 37-3976
a-Mike Boteler ....... 39-3776
a-James Bennett ...... 36-4076
Roger Simpkins ....... 39-3776
John Stone ........... 39-3776
a-Bob Kaestner ....... 39-3776
a-Robert Dailey ...... 38-3876
a-John Madden ........ 38-3876
David Dorn ........... 36-4076
a-denotes amateur