4 takeaways from the first round of the Evansville Men's City Golf Tournament

EVANSVILLE — Caleb Wassmer could do no wrong at Helfrich Hills Golf Course.

That's not entirely true. There was a minor stumble on his opening hole. But it's as close to accurate as possible based on what he did in the first round of the Romain Cadillac Men's City golf tournament.

The North Posey High School graduate posted a 6-under 65 on day one of the City Tournament to find himself in solo first place. Pick a club — with his father and 10-time City champion, Kevin, on the bag — and it was dialed in on Saturday.

"It was really everything clicking," said Wassmer. "Dad and I were pretty lethal today."

More: A look at how the 2022 Men's City Tournament was won

A five-hole stretch on the back nine vaulted him into the conversation. Wassmer saved par with a slick 10-foot slider at 10 followed by a two-putt birdie at 11. A "phenomenal shot" at 12 from under a tree to six feet led to another. He then chipped in for eagle at 13 and added another birdie at 15.

Wassmer played his final 10 holes in 6-under par. You can't win a tournament in the first round but can certainly put yourself in solid footing. That back nine gives him a chance to fire another low score at Fendrich and really make his case.

His only bogey came at the first hole.

"Every hole to me is its own battle," said Wassmer. "Yeah, you made bogey on the first hole but you get over it. There are still 17 holes to play. I’m very confident at Fendrich and played it quite a bit the past few summers. My driver is really good over the past month."

The leader became one of several to keep an eye on as the tournament progresses. A few more takeaways from the opening round at Helfrich.

Ben Hoagland: Low qualifier to City champ?

The Memorial High School graduate fired another low round with a 5-under 66 and sits one shot behind Wassmer following the first round. It puts him in a position to go from shooting the low round at the qualifier to possibly winning it all.

Too early to say out loud? Absolutely. The possibility does exist. Hoagland credited a sharper mindset for this round.

"I was really patient," he said. "I was getting a little bit upset (in the qualifier) about things for no reason. I let things come to me. Instead of getting upset, I just made some adjustments. On the back nine, a lot more (putts) seemed to fall."

More: Take a look at who qualified for the 2023 Evansville Men's City Golf Tournament

The University of Michigan redshirt junior birdied five in a six-hole stretch starting at 11. The only bump on his closing side was a bogey at 17. For whatever reasons, Hoagland says he's always found the closing stretch more to his liking even back in high school.

This start continues a strong summer which includes a victory at the IGA Match Play Championship and a second-place finish at the Indiana Open.

"I think the front is easier but I've always played the back better," said Hoagland. "I don't know if I focus more or what? I've always seemed to play better there."

A strong field is still chasing the leader

There is still a lot of golf left and a talented field on the leader's heels.

The list of players one shot back of Wassmer is impressive: three-time and defending champion David Mills, 2021 champion Chip Tiemann, Matt Monroe, Spencer Wagner and Hoagland. The latter three haven't won the City tournament but did finish as the runner-up previously.

Monroe had seven birdies, tied for the most of anyone in the field. Mills had six birdies to begin his title defense. Tiemann eagled the par-five 11th in addition to five circles on his card. Wagner had a spotless scorecard with five birdies.

Nathan Hoss and Clint Keown are three shots behind at 3-under. Trevor Grant, Tom Doyle and Cameron Weyer are only four back. It's already a strong start to an always interesting tournament.

A stark difference between morning and afternoon groups

Whoever thinks there's no luck involved with this game is lying to themselves.

There was an obvious shift between scores in the first round because of one reason: weather. The morning wave of players not only contended with the hills but strong head wind and "medium rain" for portions of their round.

Only four players from the early tee times shot par or better: Grant (69), Doyle (69), Peyton Butler (70) and Garrett Hoss (71). By comparison, 15 players were under par in the afternoon. Sometimes, factors are beyond your control.

Lower scores from the afternoon groups, which included many of the presumed contenders or past champions, isn't a surprise. It's still fair to say they still benefitted from better scoring conditions once the sun came out and wind decreased.

Some humorously compared it to tee-time advantages usually seen at the Open Championship.

"It's just the luck of the draw," said Butler. "(The wind) was pretty bad. 10, 11 and 12 all straight into wind. That stretch of holes was really tough. Playing a lot of tournaments and getting that experience, I've played in this before and was comfortable."

More: A look at the leaderboard following the first round

Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on Twitter @kylesokeland.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Caleb Wassmer leads Evansville Men's City golf tournament first round