Wichita’s Cooper Schultz grabs spotlight in weather-delayed Wichita Open
A Wichita native with no PGA Tour Americas status walked onto his home course Thursday with a sponsor exemption and walked off with one of the best rounds in the field.
Cooper Schultz made his first start on the tour count, firing a bogey-free 7-under 63 at Crestview Country Club to sit alone in second place when darkness suspended the opening round of the Wichita Open.
For much of Thursday, the story at Crestview was the weather. Play stopped. Players waited. The first round dragged through more than six hours of delays. Half the field never finished. Two golfers never even teed off.
But Schultz gave the day some local flavor.
The 24-year-old Wichita native and 2020 Andover Central graduate turned his familiarity with Crestview into a flawless opening statement. He made seven birdies, avoided every big number and never gave back a shot on a day when rhythm was difficult to find.
By the time play was halted at 8:43 p.m. because of darkness, only Josh Anderson stood in front of him on the leaderboard. Anderson, a 37-year-old pro who turned professional in 2012, held the clubhouse lead after an 8-under 62. His highlight came on the par-5 No. 14, where he reached the green in two and drained an eagle putt.
Schultz was one shot behind him after authoring the best local storyline of the opening round.
The performance came in Schultz’s second appearance in the Wichita Open, but his first start in PGA Tour Americas. The tournament is in its first year as a PGA Tour Americas event after its long run as a Korn Ferry Tour stop.
Schultz does not have status on the tour. He entered the field on a sponsor exemption. But he did have one advantage many in the 156-player field did not: Crestview is his home course.
That comfort showed early.
Schultz caught fire almost immediately with three straight birdies on Nos. 2, 3 and 4. It was the ideal opening burst for a player trying to make a statement. Instead of simply surviving the early nerves, Schultz climbed onto the first page of the leaderboard.
He did not need to chase after that. He stayed clean, steadying himself with five straight pars to make the turn at 3-under 32.
Then came another surge.
Schultz birdied the first two holes on his second nine, Nos. 10 and 11, to push deeper into contention. The birdie on No. 10 was especially valuable, as the hole was playing as the third-hardest on the course Thursday. Schultz was one of just eight players in the field to birdie it before play was suspended for the night.
He added back-to-back birdies on Nos. 14 and 15, reaching 7 under, then closed with three straight pars to finish off a 31 on the back nine.
For Schultz, it was a reminder of the level of play that made him one of the top players in Kansas State history. He finished his K-State career ranked second in program history in scoring average, won the 2021 Kansas Amateur and played in the U.S. Amateur four times before turning professional.
The opening round was interrupted around 10 a.m. because of weather and did not resume until around 3 p.m. Play was suspended again at 5:11 p.m. for about an hour, then finally halted by darkness at 8:43 p.m.
Of the 156 golfers in the field, only 78 completed their first round Thursday. The other 78 still had at least some portion of their round remaining, including two players who had yet to tee off.
The first round is scheduled to resume at 7 a.m. Friday, with the second round to follow.
That leaves the leaderboard incomplete entering the second day of the tournament. Plenty of golf remains. Plenty of players will still have a chance to make an opening move.
But Schultz already made his.
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