Traveling long distances fails to translate to lower scores

~Photo gallery of the first round

~ Three players shot 70s in the opening round to share the lead.

The message was clear: You don't have to travel the country to find the top of the leaderboard at the AJGA Dalhousie Junior Championship.

That was undeniable after the first round Tuesday at Dalhousie Golf Club.

While Floridian Courtney Harter led the girls field by three strokes with an opening 1-over-par 73, the Midwest region more than held its own in the boys competition.

Drew Miller of Clarksville, Tenn., hit off the sixth tee Tuesday at Dalhousie Golf Club. (Fred Lynch)

In a boys field dotted with players ranging from the Gulf Coast to the Canadian border and from the Atlantic Ocean to the West Coast, players from Missouri, Illinois and Tennessee shared the lead.

Tyler Brown of Lee's Summit, Mo., Drew Miller of Clarksville, Tenn., and Adam Dolezal of Lake Forest, Ill., each fired opening 70s in the morning pairings to lead the field of 108 boys.

The scores held up as winds picked up in the afternoon.

"The course played pretty hard today," Miller said. "It was really wet out there and the ball wasn't going as far with the rain last night, but the greens were rolling true and fast. I love the course."

Miller, 17, has been on a hot streak, ignited by a change in equipment. Wielding a new putter for his third round of competition, Miller needed just 26 putts over the 18 holes at Dalhousie, which played 6,970 yards.

Miller, whose Clarksville High School golf team recently won its second straight Tennessee state title during his junior season, had not had much success in his three previous AJGA tournaments this year with his old Mizuno putter. An Odyssey XG White Hot putter has turned him red hot. Using the new putter in his first tournament less than two weeks ago, he won the Westfield Junior PGA West tournament at the Legacy Golf Club in Springfield, Tenn. He hasn't cooled off since.

"I had been having some putting problems earlier this year," Miller said. "I just feel real comfortable with this."

Miller capped his round with an eagle on the par-5 18th. He covered the 536-yard hole with a driver, 8-iron and a 20-foot putt. He also had three birdies and three bogeys.

Miller, of slight build at 5-foot-7 and 130 pounds, played his first round on the course Monday, when he was paired with Southeast Missouri State baseball coach Mark Hogan in the junior-am.

Hogan didn't take any credit for passing on any tips to the co-leader.

"I was just amazed and enjoyed watching him play -- all our group did," Hogan said. "It's hard for me to figure out, as small as some of these kids are, how they generate that kind of power. They're special athletes."

Brown, who will be a senior this year at Blue Springs South, collected five birdies and carded three bogeys.

"I wasn't expecting to come out and shoot that well," Brown said. "When the birdies started dropping, I starting feeling good. I was playing well [going into Tuesday], but I wasn't expecting to shoot 2-under. I was expecting it to be mid to low 70s, but not to come out and only playing the course once and shooting that well."

Dolezal, who recently graduated from the David Ledbetter Golf Academy in Bradenton, Fla., turned in the final 70 of the day. He was on his way to the distinction of first-round leader, but he faltered with bogeys on his final two holes. He hit 15 greens and 12 fairways.

"My ball striking was real good and I made a couple of putts," Dolezal said.

All three players have afternoon tee times today and may have to contend with more difficult conditions.

"I don't the think winning score will be under par," Dolezal said. "I think it will be right around par. The course is pretty hard."

Adding to the Midwest theme was William Hunt of Paducah, Ky., and William Baade of St. Joseph, Mo. Hunt was alone in second place with an even-par 72, while Baade was among three players tied at 73.

A total of 13 players were within five strokes of the lead.

Among those players was Ryan Sirman of Tyler, Texas, who will attend the University of Oklahoma on a golf scholarship in the fall. Sirman, one of the pre-tournament favorites, had a rollercoaster round of 75 that included six bogeys, two double bogeys, three birdies and an eagle.

"Hopefully we'll be a little more consistent tomorrow," Sirman said. "I'm not one to do that. Usually I'm a little more consistent."

Harter, who will attend the University of Alabama on a golf scholarship, cruised to the top of the leaderboard with the help of her wedge and putter.

"I only hit nine greens," Harter said. "My wedge really came through today."

Her round consisted of two birdies and three bogeys on the layout, which played 6,063 yards for the girls. She missed a 5-foot par putt on the 18th hole, but it didn't dampen her outlook on her round.

"I putted well, except for 18," Harter said. "I feel pretty good. Dalhousie is a tough golf course and anything around par is a good score."

Stephanie Wagstaff of Asheville, N.C., followed with a 76. Emma Talley, who will be in an eighth-grader this fall in Princeton, Ky., was third with a 77.

Both the boys and girls fields will be cut in half after today's second round. Fifty-four boys and 18 girls will play in Thursday's final round.