GOLF: Curry grabs first-round lead at AJGA

ROGERS -- Thomas Curry birdied the first three holes Tuesday en route to a 67 and first-round lead entering today's final round of the Arkansas Junior Amateur Golf Championship at Shadow Valley Country Club in Rogers.

"I was able to hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens," said Curry, who had the only bogey-free round in the tournament to settle at 5 under. "I just got off to a hot start and was just able to keep it going.

"It's tough to keep that mindset the whole time, but you just can't think too far ahead. You definitely don't want to get ahead of yourself, because that's when things can turn bad. I'm just going to try and keep things going for one more round."

Curry, who lives in Arkansas but is a junior at Texarkana (Texas) High, is one of the most sought-after prep golfers in the area. University of Arkansas golf Coach Brad McMakin was on hand Tuesday to get a look at Curry and a few other prospects.

Emmerson Doyle, a junior at Cabot, tops the girls leaderboard after a first-round even-par 72. She birdied holes 3, 16 and 17, and leads by three strokes.

"I've been really working hard on my putting, so I was a lot better around the greens, and they just seemed to drop in the hole," Doyle said. "The fairways and greens were pretty smooth and steady. I just need to stay relaxed and do the same thing again."

Another Cabot junior, Easton Denney, is second on the boys side after carding a 3-under 69. He chipped in for eagle on No. 3, leading to the lowest tournament score he has ever shot. He birdied holes 10 and 14.

"I struggled hitting the fairways, but I was able to grind it out and hit good second shots to give myself a chance to make some birdies," Denney said. "The course was very good. Everything was flushed, and I love playing on a Zoysia [grass] fairways. My putting was a lot better out here, and I was able to get up and down a lot more. Hopefully, I can just hit a few more fairways."

Rhett South -- the state's top-ranked boys player, according to Junior Golf Scoreboard -- sits fourth after shooting a 1-under 71.

"Obviously, I can't complain about shooting under par, but I made a couple of mistakes here and there," said the Farmington senior who has committed to play at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. "I'm just happy to be in contention going into the second day, that's all that really matters."

Madison Holmes, a recent graduate of Paragould, is three strokes back in girls play after Tuesday's 75.

"I started out with a bogey, which is not ideal, but I was able to get three birdies, and that helped my round a little bit," said Holmes, who will play at the University of Central Arkansas. "I thought the course played good, and it really drained well after all the rain."

Grace Kilcrease, a senior at Springdale Har-Ber, will enter the final round in third place after finishing with a 5-over 77.

"I just made some dumb mistakes, so it was not my best day," she said. "I will definitely do better in the second round, with club selection and my strategy. I just have to go out there and believe in myself and trust in my swing."

Kilcrease, who is committed to playing at Tulsa, recently finished second in the Arkansas Women's Amateur Championship at Fayetteville Country Club.

Golfers will begin teeing off at 8 a.m. today, and the champions should be crowned by mid afternoon.