Houston, Texas – Smith Summerlin of Raleigh, North Carolina, leads the first round of the Jack Burke Jr. Invitational at 5-under-par 66. The 2026 graduate has a one-stroke lead on a close all-boys leaderboard.
The 2nd Jack Burke Jr. Invitational got started on Wednesday at Champions Golf Club. The all-boys, 72-player field features 42 college commits, 28 players ranked in the top-100 of the Rolex AJGA Rankings, and 47 AJGA champions.
The field hails from 21 different states and four foreign countries. There are 24 players at even-par or better after the first round.
Summerlin played a quality round of golf that was highlighted by four birdies on the front nine, and completely bogey-free on the back nine. His stellar round of 5-under-par 66 was enough for a one-shot lead. The No. 94 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, is looking for his first ever AJGA invitational win.
I feel solid, I mean the course fits my game well and I played well today. So I am just trying to go out there and shoot a low number tomorrow.
One stroke behind Summerlin two players shared 4-under-par 67 is Mason Snyder of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Jay Mendell of Lafayette, Louisiana. The two combined finished the first round with 14 birdies on the day.
Jack Gilbert of Houston, Texas; Dalton Burts of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, and Ethan Gao of Alpharetta, Georgia, are two strokes off the lead at 3-under-par 68.
The 2nd Jack Burke Jr. Invitational continues tomorrow with tee times from 8:30 a.m. to 10:25 a.m. off of Champions Golf Club’s No. 1 tee.
Follow the tournament on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #JackBurkeJr.