A familiar name returned to the leaderboard at the Chattanooga’s Men’s Metro at Moccasin Bend on Friday.

Richard Keene.

Keene, long regarded as one of the city’s top amateur golfers, has been conspicuously absent from the final group on the final day the last couple of years. A series of health problems combined to knock him off his game. Take for example the surgery two years ago to repair his left wrist, which was worn down from years of beating balls and "mangled" (Keene’s word) in a car door. Keene has played through pain, and says his wrist, even after surgery, still isn’t 100 percent.

"That hasn’t helped any," Keene said. "But neither did the heart attack and skin cancer."

Through it all, Keene has soldiered onward. Friday’s fine 3-under-par 67, which tied Clay Smith for low round, was proof that Keene’s recent work on his game—and good health—has paid dividends.

"It’s been a long time," Keene said of his position atop the leaderboard. "I’ve been working on a few things. I’m trying to get my patented sway, lift and crossover swing to where it’s just a sway."

Toward that end, Keene has worked on his setup, trying to stand taller at address. The result has been more consistent ball striking.

"I still hit two or three funky shots today," Keene said. "But I hit a lot of good ones."

Keene’s scorecard contained six birdies, which more than offset his bogeys on the day. His approach shots didn’t leave him a lot of work left for his birdies. At No. 2, he made a five-foot putt for birdie. At the par-5 7^th, Keene was just short of the green in two and got up and down for another birdie.

His only lengthy putt of the day was a 30-footer for birdie at No. 11. Keene closed out his round in spectacular fashion, draining a five footer at No. 14 and a six-footer at 15 for birdies and making birdie on the No. 18, converted from a par-5 to a par-4 for this tournament.

Despite all his birdies, Keene was proudest of a par he made at No. 16.

"I hit a pop-up snap hook off the tee, and the ball hits a tree and falls straight down," Keene said. "I’ve got about 240 yards with a 5-wood."

Keene’s second shot clipped a tree, hit the cart path and bounced onto the front of the green, and Keene two-putted for par.

Like Keene, co-leader Smith finished well. After a bogey at the par-4 15^th, Smith hit a sand wedge to two and a half feet at No. 16 and birdied, then hit a 64-degree wedge to two feet at No. 17 and birdied again.

"I pretty much kept it in play," Smith said. "That’s what you’ve go to do in these conditions."

Smith was talking about the rough, which has been grown to a devilish height for the Metro. Further toughening the course was the switch to a par-70 by converting two short par-5s to monstrous par 4s. Call it the Chattanooga District Golf Association’s answer to a USGA tournament setup.

"It’s interesting the psychology at work when you stand up on the tee at No. 9," said CDGA officer Mike Jenkins. "When it’s a par-5, you stand there and know you’re going to make a (birdie) four. When it plays as a par-4, you know you’re going to make [bogey] five. If you could ever figure that out, you’d have this game mastered."

Keene and Smith are one stroke ahead of several players bunched at 68: Neil Spitalny, Brian Kopet, Walt Moffitt, Doug Stein, Andrew Black and Tom Schreiner. Another stroke behind at 69 are Gary Baker, Chris Johnson, Coy Mabry, Scott Nance and Matt Mathis.

The Brainerd team of Keene, Black, Schreiner and Jimmy Watkins won the one-day team championship, shooting a two best-ball 126 to 128 for the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club team of Jenkins, Spitalny, Kopet and Gary Chazen.

In the senior division, David Lawson leads after a 73.