BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (January 19, 2017) --Argentina's Marcos Montenegro fired a bogey-free 7-under 65 on Thursday to take the first round lead at the South American Amateur hosted by Martindale Country Club. The stellar round will afford Montenegro a four-stroke lead heading into Friday's second round.

Montenegro rolled in his first birdie on No. 3, as he set the stage for a run of five birdies in eight holes that stretched out until the 10th hole. After his birdie on No. 10 Montenegro caught fire again with birdies on the 15th and 17th holes. Montenegro is looking to improve on a T12 finish at the 2015 South American Amateur.

A large group of players are 3-under and tied for second place. Among the group of four is 2016 Latin American Amateur winner Paul Chaplet. The Arizona State commit started on No. 10 and birdied once on his first side. Chaplet, from Costa Rica, fell back to even-par with a bogey on No. 1 before rallying to the finish with birdies on Nos. 3, 7 and 9.

Also in the 3-under group are Ecuador's Rafael Miranda, Ireland's Conor O'Rourke and Chile's Gabriel B. Morgan.

Four other players are tied for seventh and among them is 2015 champion Scott Harvey. It was an up and down day for Harvey as he birdied six times and bogeyed four times. His best stretch of golf came early in his round when he birdied four times in seven holes, from the 11th until the 18th (started on hole 10).

2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur winner Stewart Hagestad is tied for 30th and 2-over-par.

Last weeks Latin American Amateur winner Toto Gana of Chile is tied for 11th with countrymen Joaquin Niemann, the No. 5 player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

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