Auckland and Southland golfers share the spoils after the first round of the South Island amateur strokeplay golf championships in Timaru yesterday.
Sam An (Auckland) and Liam Balneaves (Invercargill) shot four-under par 68s at the Levels course, both with five birdies and one dropped shot in their rounds.
The pair hold a one shot lead over a quartet including New Zealand strokeplay champion Brad Kendall, fellow Mt Maunganui player Hayden Beard, Christchurch's Keelan Kilpatrick and talented Manawatu left-hander Tyler Hodge.
It was a similar story in the women's competition with Invercargill's Angela Gerkin sharing the lead with Auckland's Emily Eng and Ashburton's Catherine Bell on two-over 75.
They have a one shot lead over Auckland's Jesse Hamilton with the field for both competitions reduced following the earthquake in Christchurch.
An, who won his age division as the prestigious Aaron Baddeley International in December, started superbly to be four-under after eight holes, making a solitary bogey at the 19th before a birdie at the 11th.
Balneaves, a strong member of the South Interprovincial team, was one-under after nine holes, starting from the 10th hole, before picking up three birdies on his second nine.
Gerkin was two-under after 11 holes but had to be content with a 75 after making four bogeys in her final seven holes.
Bell also made a fast start to be two-under after seven holes but dropped two shots to turn all square and bogied the 13th and 18th coming home.
Eng was one-over at the turn, before mixing two birdies with a bogey and a double bogey on the back nine.
Leading scores after round 1:
Mens, par 72:
68 Sam An (Titirangi), Liam Balneaves (Greenacres Country)
69 Keelan Kilpatrick (Russley), Bradley Kendall (Mt Maunganui), Tyler Hodge (Levin), Hayden Beard (Mt Maunganui)
70 Tim Leonard (Timaru), Fraser MacLachlan (Royal Wellington)
71 Harry Bateman (Russley), Tom Turner (Christchurch), Jeremy Hall (Greenacres Country), Cameron Jones (North Shore)
72 Scott Fox (Kaiapoi), Mark Speedy (Royal Auckland), Hamish Campbell (Greenacres), Anthony Cope (North Shore)
73 Stewart Gray (North Shore)
74 Jeffrey Hewitt (Tinwald), Michael McAuley (Russley), Dean Williams (Amberley), Thomas Brockelsby (Royal Wellington), Blair Riordan (Takaka), Owen Burgess (Russley), Michael Worsfold (Hamilton), Nic Kay (Coringa), Chan Young Chung (Manor Park), Vaughan McCall (Gore), Nicholas Borren (Windsor)
75 Cody Harper (Invercargill), Ryan Chisnall (Greenacres), Jordan Green (Ashburton).
Women, par 73:
75 Angela Gerken (Invercargill), Emily Eng (Remuera), Catherine Bell (Ashburton)
76 Jesse Hamilton (Maungakiekie)
78 Sylvie Williams (Waimairi Beach)
81 Hanna Seifert (Lochiel)
82 Jenna Hirst (Tuatapere)
