Tom McKiddon was left ruing spoiling a superb start to the Orlando International Amateur Championship in Florida.
The Belfast teenage sensation was soon in contention to be four-under par through five holes on day one of the three-day event at the Orange County National Golf Club Centre.
However, McKibbin then bogeyed the next three holes and doubled the par-4 13th hole to now be back to one-over before finishing birdie, bogey, par, birdie and bogey in a disappointing two-over par 74 on the Crooked Cat course and one of two courses at Orange County to be hosting the event.
Holywood GCs Tom McKibbon shoots a disappointing 74 on day one of the Orlando International Amateur
McKibbin, and contesting the event for a second year running, was sharing 78th place in the 204-player field.
Fellow Irishman kick-started his round in sensational manner eagling the par-5 first hole at Crooked Cat.
The Galway golfer, and the 2007 West of Ireland champion, then pared his next eight holes ahead of a horror inward nine and sandwiching a 16th hole birdie among back-to-back bogeys on 10 and 11 along with double-bogeys on 15 and 17 and a bogey on 18.
The Crooked Cat course and one of two courses at Orange National hosting the Orlando International Amateur.
McGibbin and Lyons were heading into day two tackling the Panther course.
American Greyson Porter, but for a bogey at the 18th hole, leads the way by four shots with a nine-under par 63.
Porter, and a junior at Florida State, had a productive year in which he was runner-up at the New Year’s Invitational, T-55 at the Jones Cup and T-9 at the Oglethorpe Invitational.
Like McGibbin, who also has enjoyed a winning year, the Orlando International represents a final shot at glory in 2018.
Porter leads a group of three players who posted 5-under 67 in the opening round. That group includes College of Charleston junior Michael Sass, Western Kentucky’s Linus Lo and Alabama’s Canon Claycomb.
The now 15-year old McGibbon had kick-started 2018 winning the 36-hole Under-18 Junior Honda Classic and will looking to defend his title starting on January 5th at the same venue where Rory McIlroy won the 2012 PGA Tour’s Honda Classic.
And McKibbin is clearly no stranger to success in Orlando winning last March the inaugural Nick Faldo hosted Major Champions Invitational at the Bella Collina course.
McKibbin capped his one-shot victory in the three round event with a 16th hole ace during his second round 67 and being handed the unique trophy in the same week and some 40-minutes away from where McIlroy was winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The Orlando International Amateur was established not by Americans but by leading former Belgium and former Portuguese amateurs.
Belgium-born Maxence De Craecker was a member of the Belgian Men’s National Golf team and participated in four European Amateur Team Championships.
His Portuguese colleague and Tournament Director is Tiago Rodrigues, a former member of the Portuguese Men’s National Golf team.
Rodrigues represented Portugal in the 2008 Eisenhower Trophy and also contested eight European Amateur Team Championships.
Both are former members of the Rollins College Men’s Golf Team located in Orlando.
