Mitch Hufstetler won the 2009 Red Bud Invitational on a bum knee.
He leads the 2010 version of the Red Bud — albeit with a smaller field — with a freshly replaced left knee.
Hufstetler shot a 7-under-par 64 at Valleybrook Golf Club on Saturday and leads former Lee University golfer Brandon Cissom by two shots.
“I’m hitting it good, I’m playing well, I’m putting great and the greens are perfect since they vert-cut them and top-dressed them,” Hufstetler said. “I hit it in the right spots and hit it onto the greens.”
John Lambert shot 70 and is third in the field, which dropped to 25 golfers when Jacob Clark fell ill early.
“I’ve played for so many years and I know these greens,” said Hufstetler, who won by a shot last year. “It was a great round.”
Hufstetler made eight birdies but bogeyed his final hole. Four of the birdies came in a row on holes 14 through 17 before a three-putt kept him from a 63.
Red Bud Invitational Valleybrook Golf ClubPar 71, 6,704 yards64–Mitch Hufstetler. 66–Brandon Cissom. 70–John Lambert. 71–Neil Spitalny. 73–Gary Baker, Zach Hester, Blake Davidson, Heath Tarver. 75–Philip Spitalny, Cory Evans. 78–Matt Hadden, Wayne Woolfall. 80–Tom Myers, Jimmy White. 81–Adam Forgey. 84–Clayton Brown. 86–David McKenna.Stableford Division: 31–Bruce Russell. 27–Chris Crowe. 26–Bob Stimson. 25–Chip Muller, Jimmy Jones. 24–Lonnie Craft. 23–Shawn Reese. Seniors: 24–Butch Oakes. 23–Jim Miller.
“Good putts offset a lot of other stuff,” said Lambert, whose group crossed paths with Cissom’s group when it teed off on No. 11 and Hufstetler hit his tee ball on No. 15.
Cissom was playing well and heard Hufstetler also had a good round going.
After an even first nine holes, Cissom began his back nine 3-3-3. That’s birdie, eagle, birdie at Valleybrook. He also eagled No. 17 after pulling his tee ball left in the rough.
“With a start to the back like that, I felt like I should go really low,” Cissom said. “After 17, I thought a birdie on 18 would get me to 64. But I three-putted it like a moron.
“I played good and I can’t ask for anything better.”