SPRINGDALE -- Drew Stewart knows golf tournaments are not typically won on the first day.
That being said, Stewart has no complaints about where he sits after the first round of the 76th Dwight Collins Chick-A-Tee Invitational.
Dwight Collins Chick-A-Tee Invitational
When: Today-Sunday
Where: Springdale Country Club
Defending Champion: Steven Dixon
Friday Scores:
Open Flight
Corey Nichols — 69
Drew Stewart — 69
Jacob Bartel — 70
Michael Chaney — 70
Chris Collins — 70
Timmy Graham — 70
Dana Sera — 70
Brett Grenata — 71
Icem Brewer — 72
Rob Cummings — 72
Josh Farrell — 72
Matt Gillham — 72
Byron Shumate — 72
Adam Ruff — 72
Brian Taylor — 72
Steven Dixon — 73
Jeremy Hurlbut — 73
Casey Nelsen — 73
Scott Jackson — 74
Ken Harriman — 75
Landon Leach — 75
Lyle Rhodes — 75
Bill Bailey — 75
John Robinson III — 75
Stephen Boyd — 76
Terry Key — 76
John Burgin — 76
Shane Pollard — 76
Bo Bittle — 77
Kyle Fouts — 77
Jamie Hussey — 77
Roger Clark — 78
Mike Brown — 78
Dustin Anderson — 78
Nick Emerson — 78
Steve Rinnert — 78
Mike Morse — 78
Les Taylor — 78
Knight Weis — 78
Mike James — 79
Don Mobley — 79
Andy Schuch — 79
JR Bowlinger — 80
Rob Costner — 80
Phil Ford — 80
Stan Stockton — 80
KC Jeffries — 80
Kraig Williams — 80
Bob Pinkleton — 80
Jerry Triska — 80
Taylor Deweese — 81
James Jech — 81
Rick McClintock — 81
Jamie Prendergast — 81
Mark Miller — 82
Jim Casey — 82
Bert Cupit — 82
Clark Greenhaw — 82
Ronnie Ruff — 82
Todd Fraley — 83
Jeff Goldston — 83
Dustin Anderson — 83
Stan Wilson — 83
Roger Voss — 83
Bill Cooley — 84
Mike Lyman — 84
Ryan Fox — 84
Jon Dellinger — 85
John Griffith — 85
Mike Pinkerton — 85
Greg Lee — 86
Russell Atchley — 86
Gerald Easterling — 86
Beau Hollingsworth — 86
Clark Irwin — 86
Sean Barrows — 86
Danny Melrose — 86
John Spencer — 86
Ron Syler — 86
Britton Wheeler — 86
Perry Webb — 86
Don Neal — 87
Mike Philip — 87
Kyle Roach — 87
Mike Fox — 87
Johnny Lea — 87
Walter White — 87
Ron Corners — 87
Chad Bonner — 88
Jay Mitchell — 88
Ben Penix — 88
Jeff Larson — 89
John Crittenden — 90
Clint Miller — 90
Bill Elliott — 90
Mike Storms — 90
Chuck Coleman — 91
Phil Hanby — 91
Sean Huggins — 91
Booter Duffield — 93
Roger Ecke — 93
Lane Haymond — 94
Bruce Simon — 94
Warren Center — 95
Jim Young — 95
Wayne Bryant — 96
James Marshall — 96
Larry Weeks — 96
Arthur Baldwin — 97
Bill Corbin — 98
John Good — 98
Dwayne Miller — 98
Farzod Siahmakoun — 98
Bill Zemke — 98
Joe Herriman — 98
John Gladden — 99
Rodney Pless — 99
Dave Ruff — 100
Don Hamilton — 101
Lee Traweek — 102
Odell Taylor — 103
Jason Bedford — 103
Andy Hollingsworth — 103
Robert Hoke — 108
Tommy Granata — 110
Thomas Crosier — 112
Tom Crosier — 116
Bobby Granata — 120
Jeff Vinger — 133
Senior Flight
Gary Compton — 73
Don Wales — 73
Gene Anderson — 76
Milton Ball — 76
Tim Lewallen — 77
Hickory Morton — 77
Joe Moore — 79
Gene Holt — 80
Harold Downum — 81
John Robinson Jr. — 82
John Eichler — 87
Mike McNeese — 87
Fred Pennington — 89
Wally Switzer — 93
David Jeffrey — 95
Harry Green — 103
Stewart, playing in his sixth Chick-A-Tee, fired a 3-under par 69 in the tournament's opening round at Springdale Country Club on Friday to grab a one-shot lead over a crowded field of competitors.
With four birdies and one bogey in his round, Stewart and Corey Nichols enter today's second round of 54-hole tournament tied atop the leaderboard as the only two golfers to break 70, while eight players total were able to break par in the Friday's round.
"I didn't make many mistakes, and I'm just trying to stay in it," Stewart said. "There's two more days, so I'll just try to keep myself in position. Just try not to press. If you start pressing and starting trying to make birdies you'll be in trouble."
Stewart, who plays regularly out of Paradise Valley Athletic Club in Fayetteville, has a previous best finish of third place at the Chick-A-Tee. Friday, he used back-to-back birdies at the 555-yard, par five 7th and 371-yard, par four 8th to get his round under par for good. Another birdie came on the par five 12th before Stewart's only blemish on the day, a bogey at the par five 15th.
Defending champion Steven Dixon had an up and down round and finished four shots off the lead with a 73. Dixon had three birdies, two bogies and a double bogey in his round, but with golfers scoring extremely low he knows he's still in the hunt.
"I've never led on the first day out here," Dixon said. "All I've got to do is come back and shoot a good round (today)."
Nichols used a bogey-free round to get his name to the top of the leaderboard. A birdie at No. 10 was followed by back-to-back birdies on holes No. 1 and No. 2, as Nichols has started his round on the par four 4th.
The group of golfers just one shot back entering today are Michael Chaney, Chris Collins, Jacob Bartel and former Chick-A-Tee champion Dana Sera. At 1-under par is Brett Grenata, with seven other players in a group at even par including 2013 champion Icem Brewer.
In the senior division, Gary Compton and Don Wales share the lead with opening round scores of 73.
Sports on 06/14/2014