With a four-under-par 68, Jordan Bakermans (Christchurch) took the lead in the South Island under-19 men's championship which was played in wet conditions on the Levels course in Timaru yesterday.
Bakermans holds a two-shot lead over Jordan Green (Ashburton) while Chadol Han and Kayne Wardell were the best of the Otago golfers at three over par on 75.
Jason Voo (Waitikiri) qualified for last year's New Zealand Open as a 15-year-old and yesterday finished one under par on 71 to lead the under-17 field.
Joshua Kahukura (Omakau) and Samson Kim (Queenstown) have the best chance of the Otago golfers at two-over 74.
Cromwell junior Inia Logan holds a share of the lead in the under-15 field while Horiki Miya (Russley) has a six-shot first-round lead in the under-13 division.
The Otago teams made a good start although the under-19 team was blitzed by 12 shots by Canterbury, mainly due to the subpar rounds by Bakermans and Voo.
But it was a different story in the under-16 teams event with Otago taking a nine-shot lead over Canterbury after the first round.
Today's second round is crucial for both teams as the under-19 quintet cannot let Canterbury get further in front while the younger Otago teams need another stirling performance to shut out all of the opposition.
