OPELIKA, Ala. -- An early morning crowd of nine faithful made their way to the 10th hole at Grand National golf course for an 8:37 tee time. Three men stepped up with their caddies prepared for their opening round at the Barbasol Championship. Darron Stiles and Tom Gillis were followed by hometown favorite Blayne Barber, a former Tiger whose family, and fans, made up seven of the followers that would trail Barber through the first nine holes.
Across the course, rising Auburn senior Matt Gilchrest reached his proper tee box after a confusing text sent him to the wrong hole. The amateur debuted with a 295 yard drive down the right fairway of the first hole - that he would par.
Barber would shoot one under par on the back nine before tying for second place at five under. It was his fifth consecutive round of 69 or better at Grand National, marked with six birdies on the 2, 3, 6, 9, 13 and 16 holes to tie his best opening round of the season.
"You have to do everything well here," Barber said, "but if you can get in in the fairway off the tee, then it helps to be more aggressive on approach shots. It's a golf course where there's a lot of trouble kind of right in your driving zones."
Gilchrest, the only amateur in the playing field, would bogey after a rough 18th hole to finish one under and tied at 54th.
"I never got nervous like I thought I would today, probably because I showed up at the wrong tee to tee off this morning," he said. "I never second guessed myself out here. I kind of know what to do and that makes it a lot easier."
An afternoon tee off brought the professional debut of recent Auburn graduate Michael Johnson. The former Tiger would follow Omar Uresti and Dawie van der Walt on the first hole with a 297 yard shot to the left rough, but finished with a par before posting his first professional birdie on hole three. The newest Tour member would continue with birdies on the 10, 11, 13 and 16th holes with a bogey on the 14th to finish his first round tied at 10th, four strokes under par.
"I just wanted to get off the first hole with a par or better and I made an easy four," he said. "After that I was good to go."
The second round of the Barbasol Championship begins at 7:20 a.m. with Johnson, Barber and Gilchrest teeing off at 8:48 a.m., 1:37 p.m. and 1:58 p.m. respectively.
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