Tournament Honoree Don Malarkey  rests before beginning play in 2003 Don Malarkey Open...

then hits  ceremonial tee shot  on #1

Mike Craig wasn’t sure what to expect when he teed it up in the first round of the newly-christened Don Malarkey Open at Signal Mountain on Monday.

By his own admission, Craig, a veteran of the local amateur circuit, had lost confidence in his ball-striking ability. "I was hitting it horrible," Craig said after finishing off the last two rounds in last weekend’s Redbud in 80-76, and on his home course (Valleybrook) no less.

With nothing to lose, Craig, a compulsive swing tinkerer, tried something different on the range before he began play on Monday.

"I didn’t feel like I had any concept," Craig said. "So I just focused on trying to get the club in front of me. I’d been getting it stuck behind me, and when I do that, I don’t know where [the ball] is going."

Suffice to say the change worked, and Craig had no trouble keeping track of his golf ball on Monday. In fashioning a fine 4-under-par 67, Craig hit 16 greens in regulation and made just a single bogey, when he mistakenly hit the wrong club on the par-3 7^th hole. His five birdies more than compensated for that little miscue.

Craig had to think for a few seconds to come up with the last time he’d gone so low in stroke play competition.

"It’s been a long time," he said. "I’m usually a basket case when it comes to [playing in tournaments] on my own ball. I usually play well in team events, but I mess with my swing so much that when I’m on my own, anything can happen."

Craig finds himself in a tightly bunched final pairing today. In the hunt for the overall championship in a tournament that only this year shed its "senior" label and began accepting professionals and amateurs of all ages, are Walt Chapman, the former Tennessee Open champion (68), Justin Carter (69) and UTC signee Bryce Ledford, the former McCallie player (70).

In the various age groups, Gary Pettit’s 69 leads the 50-59 division by two shots over Sam Adams and Larry McGill; Bobby Nichols leads the 60-67 division after a 70 and recent Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame entrant Ed Brantly leads the 68 and up division after a 76.

Considering the greens were rolling close to 12 on the stimpmeter and the pins were tucked in some challenging locations, Craig’s 67 was better than good. He got off to a solid start, though he didn’t birdie the par-5 first hole. Craig did manage birdies at Nos. 2 and 3, then closed the front nine with another birdie at the par-5. That offset the bogey at No. 7, caused when Craig swung a 7-iron when he thought he had a 6 in his hands. The ball was headed straight for the pin, but landed 10 yards short.

"It was my best iron shot of the day, too," Craig said.

Craig chipped up but couldn’t make his par putt, yet still managed a 2-under-34 on the front.

He played solid golf on the back, finishing with a bogey-free 33 that included birdies at No. 10 and No. 13.

Chapman’s round included birdies at Nos. 1, 2, 11, 12 and 15. Only the par-3s caused him trouble—his bogeys came at No. 7 and 14.