NATCHEZ — Day 1 of the Beau Pré Club Championship tournament saw one former champion separate himself from a crowded pack of contenders.

Defending champion Jordan Farmer will take a three-stroke lead into the final round today after shooting a 1-under-par, 71, Saturday.

“Overall, from the start, I am happy with my final score, but I could have been in the mid-60s,” Farmer said.

His day started rough. He was 3-over-par after just four holes, made two double bogies on the front nine and made the turn at 2-over-par.

“I got it together on the back (nine), and birdied four of the first five holes to get under par,” he said.

Farmer finished with a disappointing bogey on 18 to finish 1-under, he said. He also had to deal with rain on the back nine.

Farmer said he is happy with his Day 1 lead but he knows he will still have to perform today.

“I still have to shoot under par (today,” he said. “All those guys (that shot) 74s (Saturday) can shoot under par. Having a three-shot lead is nice, but 10 would be better.”

Five players finished the first 18 of the 36-hole tournament 2-over-par.

Matthew Hall, Stephen Hollingsworth, Tom Matthews, Robin Punches and Lloyd Trisler will all be in contention today, Beau Pré golf pro Tom Bryant said.

“The tournament is pretty competitive,” Bryant said. “We’re looking at probably (seven guys). All the (guys that shot) 74 or 75 have a shot of winning, because they can all shoot under par.”

Alcorn State golf coach Tom Matthews is one of the players that finished Day 1 with a 74.

“My round could have been a lot better,” Matthews said. “I made no putts on the front, got a couple birdies on the back and had a tough break on (the 14th hole) when I hit the green and it bounced off and I made a six.”

Matthews is confident of his chances going in to round 2.

“I (think) I have just as good a chance as anybody else,” he said.

Casey Ham and Lee Jones both shot 75 Saturday and will join the eight-manChampionship flight today.

Bryant said the players were not receiving many breaks from the course Saturday, and that led to some high numbers.

“(The course) is playing fairly tough,” Bryant said. “The scores are high, higher than I expected. It’s relatively tough for the first day. It will be similar tomorrow.”

The top three finishers will receive gift cards today, and the top 16 players qualify for the field of 28 players that will participate in this year’s Beau Pré Cup, Bryant said.

The Beau Pré Cup is the premier event the club has to offer each year, Farmer said.

“The best thing (about the club championship) is you can make the (Beau Pré) Cup matches,” he said. “That is the most fun tournament I have ever played in. It doesn’t get any better as far as competition.”

Second round play will begin at noon today at Beau Pré. The Championship Flight will begin its play at 1:39 p.m.