RORY SPEARS (L) WITH MIKE JONES Director of Golf at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington PA., the new Pete Dye Shepherd’s Rock Course is open, for more information see Nemacolin.com. It’s Western Amateur week at Skokie Country Club in Glencoe, come out and see the world’s top amateur’s. Admission is free of charge.         ______________________________________________________________________

THE GOG BLOG by RORY SPEARS…Editor and Director of Content. Follow Rory to the Western Amateur at Skokie Country Club and on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter @GogBlogGuy and Saturday morning at Golfers on Golf Radio Am 750 WNDZ 9AM.

THE 115TH WESTERN AMATEUR is underway at Skokie Country Club in Glencoe. There are five players tied for the lead at 5 under par (66’s). Among the leaders is 2015 champion Dawson Armstrong from Brentwood Tenn, and a senior at Lipscomb college located in the volunteer state.

Armstrong won at Rich Harvest Farms in dramatic fashion in 2015, when he holed a bunker shot in extra holes to defeat Aaron Wise now a professional on tour. the other four players tied for lead, are Ruben Sindjaja of Australia, Stephen Franken of North Carolina, Collin Morikawa from California, and Nick Voke of New Zealand.

Northbrook’s Nick Hardy was T-24 after a 69, and Arlington Heights Doug Ghim was T-34 after a one under par 70. Defending Champion Dylan Meyer a member of the U of I golf team made two late bogeys and was at 72, and is in danger of missing the 36 hole cut, that comes on Wednesday..

Former NFL QB and now CBS NFL TV analyst Tony Romo shot 80, and will likely miss the cut on Wednesday, that sees the field shrink to the low 44 and ties.

Click here to hear Tony Romo’s press conference from Monday at Skokie Country Club.

Match play will being with the Sweet 16 on Friday morning and only four players will be left standing on Saturday, with the championship match starting around 12:45 Saturday afternoon. See more at WGAESF.org.