Leading the way are Dave Boyce, Jr. of Charlotte and Daniel Claytor of Rocky Mount. Both recent graduates of the Barton College golf team, they teamed together to post just one bogey, along with seven birdies and an eagle for an impressive score of 8-under par 64.

Alone in second place are Jason Martin of Huntersville and Andy Crain of Raleigh. They took advantage of the front nine holes at River Run, which played one stroke easier than the back nine. Martin and Crain recorded seven birdies and two bogeys on the first nine holes they played on their way to a 7-under par round.

After the morning wave, three groups were tied atop the leaderboard at four-under par 68. Among those were Noah Edmondson and William Gordon, who are River Run CC members and high-school juniors at nearby Cannon High School. Upon graduation, Edmondson has accepted an offer to play at Arkansas University and Gordon at Vanderbilt University. Their round was highlighted by a four-under stretch between holes 11 and 14, including an eagle by Gordon on the par-5 12th hole. They are tied for sixth after the first round.

Scores were lower in the afternoon wave. Both teams in the first group off the tenth hole recorded five-under par rounds. The team of Clark Rose and Kyle Simpson, who both played college golf at Mt. Olive, took advantage of the easier front nine and shot four-under on those holes. Pete Seagroves and Ryan Baucom rounded out that pairing. Ryan Baucom, who caddied for Hudson Swafford at the Web.com Chiquita Classic held at River Run CC last month, hit driver then five iron to convert eagle on the 534 yard par-5 18th. Baucom said Swafford also made eagle on that hole, and planned to notify Swafford of his matching accomplishment.

2011 champions David Donavan and Jonathan Miles, both of Hampstead, shot two-over par 74.

Play in this 54-hole event will continue Saturday off both the 1st and 10th tees at 8:00am. There will be a cut to the low 30 teams (and ties) after the second round.

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