It’s been a big week for Robert Geibel.
In the past seven days, Geibel has celebrated his 18th birthday, finished as the low amateur at the Florida Open, qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship and carded a 6-under-par 65 on Friday at Wilmington Island Club to take the first-round lead at the 31st Oglethorpe Invitational.
Geibel is tied atop the leaderboard with Florida State University golfer Collin Englehardt. Two-time Oglethorpe champion Jack Hall of Sea Island is tied for third with Georgia Southern golfer Will Evans and University of North Florida golfer MJ Maguire only one stroke behind Geibel and Englehardt.
Low scores were the norm Friday when more than 30 players finished at least 1 under and a round of even-par 71 earned a tie for 31st. There were more than 20 scores in the 60s, including Armstrong Atlantic State University golfer Jacob Tilton’s 4-under 67, and four-time champion Doug Hanzel of Savannah finished with a 70 despite a double bogey on the 16th hole.
Geibel, who made seven birdies and a bogey in his first trip around the Wilmington Island Club course, will play collegiate golf at the University of Louisville beginning this fall. Last week at Quail Valley Golf Club and Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club in Vero Beach, Fla., he shot 7 under to finish fifth overall at the Florida Open and then turned right around to post 71-74 at Emerald Hills Country Club in Hollywood, Fla., to qualify for the U.S. Amateur Championship for the first time.
“I’ve been playing really solid, nothing too fancy but making some putts and not making too many mistakes,” said Geibel, who said he reached a ranking of No. 33 in the world as a junior amateur following a victory in 2011 as a 15-year-old at the prestigious Bubba Conley National Junior Golf Tournament in Memphis, Tenn.
“That’s what the game is about, and that’s the way I’ve played lately,” he continued. “This course, if you keep it in the fairway, you can go at (the pin) with low irons, and if you put it in the correct spots, you can definitely have some putts you can make.
“I kept the ball in the fairway, and my confidence is way up so I feel like I can really go at it,” Geibel said.
After narrowly missing the cut at the U.S. Senior Open earlier this month, the 56-year-old Hall (2005, ’10 Oglethorpe champion) made six birdies and a bogey to join a three-way tie for third with Evans and Maguire.
Evans carded a 66 in the first round of last year’s Oglethorpe Invitational and went on to finish third, while Maguire made three birdies, an eagle and two bogeys on Friday in his first six holes in his first Oglethorpe appearance.
“I had one three-putt and six one-putts,” joked Hall after continuing his seeming perpetual streak of contending in the Oglethorpe Invitational. “The greens were soft, it was lift clean and place because of the rain and being the first day there were no tucked pins. (The first round) is an example of a round to just stay in it and stay within three or four shots because you can’t win it today but you can lose it.
“If you hit it down the middle of the fairway and on the green, it was a walk in the park, but if you started to miss it, you found plenty of trouble.”
Oglethorpe Invitational
at Wilmington Island Club
First-round scores Friday
T1. Collin Engelhardt, Orlando|65
Robert Geibel, Pembroke Pines, Fla.|65
T3. Jack Hall, Sea Island|66
MJ Maguire, St. Petersburg|66
Will Evans, McDonough|66
T6. Bryce Chalkley, Richmond, Va.|67
Jacob Tilton, Evans|67
Jarred Garcia, Jacksonville|67
T9. Andrew Ward, York, S.C.|68
Bill Sharpe, Albany|68
Matt Mell, Savannah|68
Maverick Antcliff, Australia|68
Rusty Strawn, McDonough|68
T14. Billy Mitchell, Roswell|69
Brent McKenzie, Wake Forest, N.C.|69
Clement Kurniawan, Indonesia|69
Cody Shafer, Evans|69
Connor Davis, Olive Branch, Miss.|69
Davis Parker, Augusta|69
Jamey Salmon, Jacksonville|69
John Jonas, Jacksonville|69
Jon Weiss, Florence, S.C.|69
Nate Gahman, Leesburg|69
Robby Prater, Birmingham, Ala.|69
Ryan Eibner, Greenville, N.C.|69
Spencer Schindler, St. Augustine|69
Zachary Edmondson, Morrisville, N.C.|69
T28. Austin Powell, Jupiter, Fla.|70
Brian Fitch, Clayton, N.C.|70
Charles Flowers, Columbus|70
Chris Sells, Savannah|70
Doug Hanzel, Savannah|70
Forest Gamble, Birmingham, Ala.|70
Jackson Moore, Isle of Palms, S.C.|70
Jason Coolik, Atlanta|70
Parker Mills, Easley, S.C.|70
Spencer Ciesla, Naples, Fla.|70
Will Cannon, Birmingham, Ala.|70
Will Murphy, Columbia, S.C.|70
T40. Bodi Karsono, Tampa|71
David Kennedy, Savannah|71
Drew Aimone, Savannah|71
Elki Kow, Indonesia|71
Hayden Garrett, Easley, S.C.|71
Jacob Davidson, Jacksonville|71
Kyle Blackston, Eustis, Fla.|71
Meechai Padungsiriseth, Thailand|71
Parker Jones, Gainesville, Fla.|71
Shad Tuten, Elberton|71
Tyler Williams, Hilton Head Island, S.C.|71
T52. Caleb Morris, Metter|72
Cates Culpepper, Columbus|72
Chipper Hughes, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.|72
Clark Palmer, Augusta|72
Harley Abrams, Boca Raton, Fla.|72
Henry Mabbett, Griffin|72
Joe Lewis, Savannah|72
Osten Waite, Ocala, Fla.|72
Patrick Grahek, Alpharetta|72
Robert Mize, Fortson|72
Scott Wolfes, St. Simons Island|72
Travis Williamson, Brunswick|72
T64. Austin Padova, Hudson, Fla.|73
Carson Jacobs, Hendersonville, Tenn.|73
Chase Parker, Augusta|73
Chris Jodis, Seaside, Calif.|73
Dillon Board, Jacksonville|73
John Varol, Weddington, N.C.|73
Justin Cho, Alpharetta|73
Roman Cenizal, Jacksonville|73
Stone Cowie, Crawfordville, Fla.|73
Tee Opperman, Pawleys Island, S.C.|73
Walter Hagen, Savannah|73
T75. Blake Soni, Bradenton, Fla.|74
Brady Hollenbacher, Fleming Island, Fla.|74
Christian Humber, Fayetteville|74
Grant Waggoner, North Charleston, S.C.|74
Howard Hickey, Savannah|74
Jackson Heazal, Atlanta|74
Jay Pinkos, Clifton, Va.|74
Matthew Luckett, Norcross|74
Michael Assey, Mt. Pleasant, S.C.|74
Michael Hines, Woodstock|74
Miles Curley, Rock Hill, S.C.|74
Ryan Henry, Weston, Fla.|74
Tripp Coggins, Savannah|74
T88 Ben Montgomery, Louisville, Ky.|75
Billy Shuman, St. Simons Island|75
Bryan Fox, Roswell|75
Devin Hernandez, Seminole, Fla.|75
Mark Cusic, California, Md.|75
Matthew Mierzejewski, Johns Creek|75
Scott Weeks, Savannah|75
T88. Taylor Welborn, LaGrange|75
Tripp Kuhlke, Augusta|75
Zachary Toste, Pembroke Pines, Fla.|75
T98. Chris Ingham, Miami|76
Colin Monagle, Jacksonville|76
Cyrus Stewart, Raleigh, N.C.|76
Wayne Stone, Birmingham, Ala.|76
T102 Caulder Moore, Isle of Palms, S.C.|77
Charlie Smiley, Savannah|77
Choo Teck Ng, Malaysia|77
Danny Nelson, Savannah|77
Evan Usry, Evans|77
Gregory Edwards, Gillsville|77
Jacob Kreuz, Amherst, N.Y.|77
Jason Mendel, Norcross|77
Jim Henderson, Macon|77
T111. Colt Crymes, Athens|78
Michael Rafalowicz, Doral, Fla.|78
Philip Kennedy, Savannah|78
114. Wheaton Hall, Springfield|79
T115. Charlie Martin, LaGrange|80
Jared Purvis, Valdosta|80
Paul Henderson, Longwood, Fla.|80
T118. Jacob Hitt, Richmond Hill|81
Scott Randolph, Eatonton|81
120. Trey Patterson, Johns Creek|83
121. Davy Clay, Savannah|85
122. Nambsub Padungsiriseth, Thailand|86
123. Connor Armstrong, Savannah|95