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Guinn holds one-shot lead at Senior City Am

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By Jimmy Trodglen

Editor

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Halfway through the opening round of the Clarksville Senior City Am, Greg Guinn had a feeling par would be good enough to lead the elite senior event.

Guinn was almost right.

Guinn, the defending Senior City Am champion, shot a 2-under 70 at The River Club Saturday and will hold a one-shot lead when the tournament shifts to Swan Lake Sunday.

“The golf course was set up pretty difficult today from a hole location standpoint,” Guinn said. “All of the pin locations were on the edges and sides, or front of the green. There was not a lot of middle-hole locations.”

Guinn said the difficult hole placement likely contributed to only three scores of par or better.

Guinn was one of two golfers to shoot under par with Brad VanKirk sitting a shot back at 1-under 71. VanKirk is playing in his first tournament this summer after suffering a non-golf related foot injury earlier this year.

The other par or better score was shot by Bobby Yingling, who leads the 60-64-year-old division following an even par 72.

Under overcast skies and occasional wind gust, Guinn stayed out of trouble on the narrow fairways. He made a birdie at No. 2, then went to 2 under with a birdie at No. 5.

Guinn missed the green at No 7 and settled for bogey, then made a solid par at No. 9 to set up an impressive run on the back nine.

Guinn made eight straight pars and finished with a birdie on the front and back nine.

Guinn knows he will have to alter his approach when the tournament shifts to Swan Lake. The course will play shorter, and the challenge will be the Bermuda Greens and determining how the putts will break.

“The golf course (The River Club) was a good test and it felt lucky to break par,” Guinn said. “The greens (at Swan Lake) will be faster, so it’s going to be a different kind of golf Sunday depending on hole location.”

65 and Over

Three golfers – Ronny Powers, Richard Ashbrook and Harold Hensley – share the lead after shooting 5-over 77.

Jimmy Trodglen, editor, Twitter@Tnsports360