By Dave Mathieson
Amherst Daily News
AMHERST - The first round of the Amherst Open is in the bag and some familiar names are at the top of the leaderboard.
Aaron Nickerson of River Hills (Shelburne County) sits at the top of the pack in division one after he shot a 2-under par 70.
Close on his heels is Amherst's Mitch Roy with 71, followed by Nick Banfield of River Oaks and Amherst's Gary Carter, with a score of 73.
"Mitch Roy is just one shot back," said club pro Frank McShane. "He's last year's champion, so he should be right there tomorrow."
The tournament attracted 150 players from throughout Nova Scotia and McShane said he's received lots of positive comments about the shape of the course.
"That's nice to hear," added McShane. "Especially from guys from other parts of Nova Scotia."
Today's tee time for the top division one golfers is at around 1 p.m.
"We encourage people to come out and walk around and watch a round of golf," said McShane.
In division two it is Amherst's Jordan Letcher and Duane VanSnick tied for the lead with a 79, followed by Amherst's Ken Parrell and Glenn Porter and Passendale's Sheldon Covey with 81.
In division three Amherst's Don Davis and Peter McCaig of Sackville are tied for the lead with a score of 85 and Rodney Rideout, Stan Wheeler, Jeff Covey and Allan Mackenzie are each shooting an 86.
In division four it's Amherst's Dick VanSnick who goes into the final round with the lead after shooting an 89, followed by Craig Ryan, Matt Roach and John Clarke of Springhill, each with a 91.
The second round of the Amherst Open begins at 7:40 a.m. with division three and division four golfers teeing off. Division one and division two golfers begin teeing off at 12:08 p.m.
dmathieson@amherstdaily.com
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