The locals had the largest galleries Thursday.
Luke List, Harris English and Andrew Black -- three of the entrants with area connections -- had plenty of friends and family follow them around Black Creek Club in the opening round of the Children's Hospital Classic.
The galleries didn't get to cheer as much as the players would have liked. The trio combined to shoot 4 over par despite having played the course probably 500 times combined.
List and English, regulars on the Nationwide Tour, each shot 74. Black, a professional who sells merchandise at Golf Headquarters, shot even-par 72 despite shooting 6 over on one hole -- No. 6.
The afternoon wave of local favorites did not fare much better. Former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga star Jonathan Hodge led the local contingent by shooting a 71 and finishing just before it became too dark to play.
"I didn't hit it great, but it was a positive day," Hodge said. "I didn't miss any short putts, but I didn't make any long ones."
Honors Course head professional Henrik Simonsen shot 75 and his assistant, Bruce Bowen, shot 73 in his first Nationwide Tour event.
"This was so much fun," Bowen said. "I was nervous the whole round."
English admitted to some anxiety as well.
"I did put a little too much pressure on myself today, which I don't need," said English, who prepped at Baylor School and practiced almost daily at Black Creek. "I'm glad to be back in Chattanooga at my home course, but it's been about four years since I've been out here."
English bogeyed his first hole, No. 10, with a three-putt. He got the shot back with a birdie on No. 14. Then a bad swing on the par-3 17th led to a double-bogey.
"I never really got anything going," said English, who closed his round with a birdie on No. 9. "I did everything OK, but I hit some bad shots at bad times and I didn't make up for it with my putter.
"I'm looking forward to tomorrow to see if I can get something done."
List, another Baylor graduate who is No. 27 on the money list, turned at 1 over after a three-putt on No. 9. He also bogeyed No. 18 after his drive sailed into a pond on the left.
"I took an aggressive line trying to make an eagle or birdie on the last," List said. "The greens are in perfect shape, and with missed putts it's your fault.
"I want to make some more putts and take advantage of the par-5s better."
Black had his name near the top of the leaderboard through most of his round and one of the oddest scorecards in Classic history.
He made six birdies with his 11 on the par-5 sixth hole. He hit three drives out of bounds left.
"I'm still kind of in shock about it," Black said about an hour later. "I was in a daze: 'Did that really just happen?'"
"I had to get my head together. It's a weird way to shoot par, but that's the way it added up."