John H. Jonas

Playing the Country Club of Columbus, Jonas, who will be a senior this fall at the College of Charleston, birdied his first two holes and also birdied his final two holes.

Thirty-six players are under par after the first round, and another 13 are at even-par 71. One of those players is defending champion Grant Hirschman, who won in a playoff in 2014 over Shad Tuten.

Tuten, along with James Clark and Bennett Baker, are the aforementioned trio of players tied for second place at four-under par. Tuten graduated from Armstrong State University in 2014 and is looking for redemption in 2015 after his opening-round 67.

Seven players are tied for fifth at 68, including Hirschman's University of Oklahoma teammate Beau Titsworth. He's coming off a solid performance at the Monroe Invitational last week, where he held the second and third round lead before settling for a runner-up finish.

ABOUT THE CLUB

The Club was originally founded in 1909. The 18-hole golf course was completed by Donald Ross in 1925 and was updated by him again in 1938. The "triple C" as it known by its members possesses a rich golfing pedigree, playing as annual host to the prestigious Southeastern Amateur Championship.

The club is also home to the Fred Haskins Award, given to the best male collegiate golfer each year. Fred Haskins, a close friend of Bobby Jones and long time head golf professional at CCC, was quite an accomplished golfer and teacher during the middle of the twentieth century. As a tribute to his teaching abilities, his young pupils went on to win more than 150 championships.