Troubles Continue for Voges : U.S. Amateur golf: Defending champion from Simi Valley shoots 1-over-par in first round.

Mitch Voges of Simi Valley shot a 1-over-par 73 in the first qualifying round of the 92nd U.S. Amateur golf championship Tuesday at The Country Club of Muirfield.

Voges, the 1991 champion, will continue his defense of the title today at Muirfield Village Golf Club, site of Sunday’s 36-hole match play final. The format calls for 18 holes of stroke play on each of the first two days. The low 64 qualifiers from a field of 312 will begin match play Thursday, with the second and third rounds Friday and the fourth and semifinal rounds Saturday.

Doug Hauenstein of Aurora, Ohio, leads with a 66.

Voges, 42, was not happy with his play in the first round and could not pinpoint his problems.

“The course is in good shape,” Voges said. “It isn’t as difficult as Muirfield (Village Golf Club) but I just didn’t play well.”

Voges finished his round with a bogey and a double bogey.

On the par-five 17th hole, Voges, chipping for birdie from a difficult lie, left the ball three feet from the cup. His putt lipped out, however, and he had to settle for a bogey.

“I made a great chip shot onto the green,” Voges said. “I hit the putt hard enough and to the right side of the hole but it just horseshoed out.”

Voges had eight straight pars on the front nine and a birdie at the ninth. He continued the consistent play until he bogeyed the 13th.

“I took an easy 69 and turned it into a 73,” Voges said.

Voges said his play has lacked consistency. “My play has been erratic all year,” he said. “I’ve never been erratic in my whole life, I’m just not playing very well right now.”

Most of the low scores were carded at the Country Club. David Berganio of Sylmar shot a 1-under-par 71 on that course.

“I was hitting the ball well for most of the day,” Berganio said. “At the 13th hole I was five under but I bogeyed the 15th and double-bogeyed the 18th.”

Berganio said that when he plays the more demanding Muirfield Village Golf Club course today he will have to shoot par or better to qualify for match play.

“There really is no comparison between the two courses,” he said. “It will be longer and the greens will be firmer and faster, but I think par or better will give me a chance to qualify.”

Other area golfers included 1990 California champion Charlie Wi of Thousand Oaks (74), Jason Gore of Valencia (73), Don Baker of Canoga Park (78) and Yukinori Miyashita of Simi Valley (79).