Ardmore, Pa. ? Kansas University junior golfer Gary Woodland shot an opening-round even-par 70 at the 105th U.S. Amateur Championship on Monday at the Philadelphia Country Club.

Woodland, a Topeka native, eagled the final hole, a par-4, and finished 18th overall. Top 64 after today’s second round of stroke play will advance to match play.

“He holed a wedge shot from 80 yards,” KU golf coach Ross Randall said of Woodland’s late eagle. “He had a steady round. He’s pretty excited the way it ended. Now he won’t have the pressure to have to go out and shoot 65 in the second round to make the cut.”

Woodland had the longest drive of the day in the 312-player field. He smashed a drive 365 yards on one hole.

“A guy checking the yardage said, ‘You win,”’ Randall said. “On another hole against the wind, he hit one 345.”

New Mexico junior Charlie Beljan shot a 6-under 64 to take the first-round lead.

Also :

¢ Former KU golfer Andrew Price shot 68 Monday at Firestone CC in Akron, Ohio, and has qualified for this weekend’s Nationwide Tour event, the Cleveland Open.

¢ Ex-Jayhawk Tyler Hall shot 68 Monday and qualified for his first PGA Tour event, this weekend’s Buick Classic in Hartford, Conn.

¢ Ex-Jayhawk Travis Hurst last weekend won the $20,000 first-place prize at a Tight Lies Tour event in Broken Arrow, Okla. He’s the second-leading money winner on the tour at $46,000.

¢ Former KU player Ryan Vermeer won the $20,000 first-place prize at the Hillcrest Pro Am in South Dakota.