Gilliland Leads Don Malarkey Open

The collegians were at it again on Monday.

The leaderboards in Tennessee and Chattanooga-area golf tournaments have been increasingly inhabited by college players, the last few years, and the first round of the Don Malarkey Open at Signal Mountain Golf and Country Club was no different. Furman junior Chris Gilliland, son of Council Fire director of golf Hunt Gilliland, shot a 7-under-par 64 to take a two-shot lead over pro Eric Rebman of Knoxville.

Right behind Rebman was Nick Blakely, who's signed to play at Birmingham Southern. He shot 67. Both Gilliland and Blakley made the cut at last week's Tennessee Amateur at Black Creek.

In the Senior Division, amateur Barry Klinikowski of Lebanon, Tenn. shot a 66 and leads by two shots over pros Mark Houser of Kingsport and James Paschal of Hendersonville.