Kenosha’s Jordan Elsen has finished in the top-10 at the Wisconsin State Amateur Championship the last two years, and he enjoyed another good start when the 108th annual tournament opened on Monday at Merrill Hills Country Club in Waukesha.

Elsen, 21, a senior-to-be on the University of Wisconsin golf team, played the 6,655-yard course in 2-under 69 (34-35) and is in fourth place in the 180-player field.

The top-70 and ties after today’s second round will make the cut for the final two rounds Wednesday and Thursday.

Elsen, a member at Kenosha Country Club and former Tremper student, made four birdies — on Nos. 1, 3, 16 and 17 — and tallied two bogeys. He trails leader and two-time State Amateur champion Pat Boyle of Meadowbrook Country Club in Racine by two shots and two others by one.

Boyle fired a 4-under 67 (33-34) that featured eight birdies, two bogeys and one double bogey.

Elsen tied for sixth at last year’s State Amateur at Old Hickory Golf Club in Beaver Dam after tying for fifth in 2007 at Bristlecone Pines Golf Club in Hartland.

Elsen is among 11 players with Kenosha County ties competing. Todd Schaap, who will try to match Mike Smolinski’s record seven Men’s County Open titles when that tournament begins Friday, shot a 1-over 72 (37-35) and is tied for 13th.

Playing out of Ives Grove Golf Links in Sturtevant, Schaap, 41, recorded four birdies to help offset three bogeys and one double bogey. Schaap tied for 28th at last year’s State Am after tying for seventh in 2007 and tying for ninth in 2006.

Kenosha Country Club’s John Pallin, the State Am champion in 1975 and 1978, shot a 75 (38-37) and is tied for 32nd. Sam Serdar, a Central graduate representing Spring Valley Country Club, fired a 76 (41-35) and is tied for 42nd.

Four County players shot 77 and are tied for 55th. They include UW-Parkside golfers Mack Wallace (37-40), Andy Hansen (40-37) and Keith Buntrock (40-37), and UW-Green Bay redshirt freshman Chad Ebert (38-39), a Bradford graduate.

The final three County players in the field will need a good round today to survive the cut. UW-Parkside’s Michael Keller Jr. shot a 79 (39-40) and is tied for 96th, while Kenosha CC’s Rick Elsen, Jordan’s father, carded an 80 (42-38) and is tied for 118th. UW-P’s Sean Regan fired an 83 (39-44) and is tied for 143rd.

Tee times, live scoring and other tournament information is available at www.wsga.org.

WPGA in Reedsburg

Kenosha Country Club professional emeritus Tom Befera tied for 29th at Monday’s WPGA Stroke Play event No. 3 at Reedsburg Country Club.

Befera, who retired in December after serving as KCC’s head pro for 35 years, shot a 2-over 74 (38-36). A PGA Life Member, he made two birdies and four bogeys.

Arthur DeWolf of Transcendental Golf in Pleasant Prairie posted a 76 (37-39) and tied for 37th.

Kurt Mantyla of The Legend at Brandybrook topped the 63-player field with a 6-under 66 (32-34).