Davis Shore tees off on the 17th hole during the first round of the Tennessee Junior Amateur tournament Tuesday, July 7, 2015, at Cleveland Golf and Country Club in Cleveland, Tenn.CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Scott Stevens scooted out of Cleveland Golf and Country Club after playing the first round of the Tennessee Junior Amateur and back to his home about 30 miles away.
Dylan Lillard, a rising senior at Walker Valley, grabbed lunch before leaving.
Lake Johnson, who played with Stevens for Chattanooga Christian, left in disgust. And Reese Scobey, a Notre Dame golfer, felt weak walking to his car.
The Chattanooga-area golfers in the annual championship event were left tired, frustrated and nowhere near first place after the first round despite being able to sleep at home.
"It's difficult playing your home course, and I think that's because you expect too much," said Lillard, who earned three days off from his job at Cleveland Country Club to play in this elite tournament. "I got the week off. I'm happy that I'll only have to work Friday and Saturday."
Lillard is in the middle of the pack after the first of three days of stroke play. Stevens, who will compete next year at South Carolina under former Dalton star golfer Bill McDonald, is still in contention.
William Nottingham, a rising senior at Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett who has committed to play at Clemson, owns the first-round lead after shooting 4-under-par 67.
"I changed putters, and I've been working real hard on my putting," Nottingham said. "If you can hit it in the fairway, it sets up well for a lot of wedges around here."
Austin Lancaster of Hendersonville is one off the lead, and Cooper Sears and Jacob Sherlin are two away after the first round.
But none of them slept in their own beds Tuesday night like Stevens and the rest of the area contingent.
Some guys are playing in the final junior tournaments of their career.
"It's weird to think about it," Stevens said. "It's all I've been doing for six years now. All of my friends are in these tournaments, too. Now that I'll have college tournaments, I won't know as many people.
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP