Larry McGill came into Thursday’s Chattanooga TPC qualifying round playing well. Neil Spitalny came into the round, well, not playing.

Their preparation was different, but their results were the same. McGill and Spitalny, both in their early 50s, showed the youngsters how it was done, earning co-medalist honors with 2-under-par 70s at Council Fire. McGill earned the No. 1 seed as the low 16 players advanced to match play on Friday. He’ll play No. 16 seed Matt Mathis, who shot 76 on Thursday. Spitalny will play old friend Richard Keene, who also shot 76 in claiming the 15^th seed.

McGill, who has been playing well all season, put together perhaps his best effort of the year earlier this week, winning the amateur division of the Tennessee Senior Open at Baneberry Golf Club. Already this season, McGill had another win and three second-place finishes.

"Every day is a different day," McGill said in summing up his round. "You make birdie putts one day, and the next you don’t. Today, I was lucky enough to make enough birdie putts to make up for all my three putts."

McGill’s round was anything but dull. Just as he said, there were ample birdie putts rolling in the hole, mixed with the occasional three-jack. McGill made six birdies in all, four on the front nine alone where he shot 33. McGill birdied Nos. 2, 3 and 5 for a blazing start, three-putted the par-5 6^th, but got that stroke back with a birdie at No. 9.

Another three-putt cost him a stroke at No. 10, but he bounced back with birdies at Nos. 11 and 13, both par 5s. He three-putted 16 for another bogey, couldn’t save par after missing the green at the par-3 17^th and parred 18 for his 70.

"Overall, it was a pretty good day," he said.

McGill, a Council Fire member, attributes some of his fine play to the new Titleist 983 driver he put in his bag earlier in the year. It gives me 20-30 extra yards off the tee," McGill said. "It keeps me out there with those limberbacks."

Spitalny came to Council Fire not sure what to expect from his game—he hadn’t played in three weeks. A surgeon, Spitalny is busy on a good week. But in the last three weeks, he’s endured the death of his father in law and then did his best to play dad, following the exploits of sons Phillip and Matthew. Both play high school football (Phillip for Baylor and Matthew for McCallie) and both also play soccer.

"I’d planned to really practice hard to get in condition to play this tournament," Spitalny said. "As it turned out, I didn’t even get to play, which might have been fortuitous. I came in with no expectations."

Spitalny didn’t make as many birdies as McGill, but he didn’t make as many bogeys, either. He birdied No. 6 and 9 on the front to offset a three-putt at No. 8. A bogey at No. 11 ("The easiest hole on the course," Spitalny said) didn’t derail his momentum too much—he quickly bounded back with birdies at No. 13 and 14. He drained a 25-footer at 14 for his longest birdie putt of the day.

It took 76 to make match play on a day that lent itself to scoring. "It might have been the best day, weather-wise, we’ve had in the first round of the TPC," said tournament director Mike Jenkins. "There was no wind."

The benign conditions at Council Fire gave up to other sub-par scores (Jay Potter and John Lambert both shot 71) and three other players shot 72—Aon Miller, Brian Kopet and Steve Johnson.

Friday’s Pairings

1:30 p.m.

No. 1 Larry McGill (70) vs. No. 16 Matt Mathis (76)

No. 8 Andrew Black (73) vs. No. 9 Kevin Law (74)

1:40 p.m.

No. 4 John Lambert (71) vs. No. 13 Nick Bailes (75)

No. 5 Brian Kopet (72) vs. No. 12 Tom Schreiner (75)

1:50 p.m.

No. 2 Neil Spitalny (70) vs. No. 15 Richard Keene (76)

No. 7 Steve Johnson (72) vs. No. 10 Patrick Williams (74)

2:00 p.m.

No. 3 Jay Potter (71) vs. No. 14 Greg Privette (75)

No. 6 Aon Miller (72) vs. No. 11 Jimmy Watkins (74)

Failed to Qualify for Match Play

77-Chris Treadway, Clay Smith

78-Greg Johnson, Randy Yoder, Rick Hudson

79-Mike Craig, David McKenna, Tyson Elliott

81-Darrell Atchley

83-Patten Smith

85-Mike Jenkins

86-David Lawson