Staff report

The first day of qualifying is in the books for the 63rd annual Crowder-Dorsett Labor Day 4-ball tournament and one two-man team made an early statement.

Extraordinary local junior golfers Nick Lyerly and Michael Childress are together for this event and their effort on Friday at the Country Club of Salisbury did not disappoint. In fact, they may have even surprised themselves with a first-day low round of 64.

While many thought that the duo could be the tournament favorites, the high schoolers still had to go out and prove it on Friday.

And they did.

Lyerly, 17, a senior at East Rowan High School, won the North Carolina Amateur in June and was runner-up at the Big I event in Sacramento earlier this month.

Childress, 16, a junior at Cannon School in Concord, is a Salisbury resident. He has had strong performances in numerous tournaments this summer, including a fourth-place finish in the Dogwood State Junior Championship.

Both Lyerly and Childress played in the U.S. Junior Amateur, near Chattanooga, Tenn., in July. Both are also playing in today and Sunday’s prestigious Joe Cheves Junior Invitational at Mimosa Hills in Morganton.

Following Lyerly and Childress in the championship and open flight qualifying on Friday was one other under par score — a 70 turned in by Alex Antosek and Pete Kuld. Even-par 71s were shot by the teams of Ken Clarke-Chris Owen and Glenn-Dixon-Roy Dixon.

A strong 4-under par 67 was scored in the men’s senior division (55+) by Craig Rae and Andre Resner. Chip Comadoll-Jerry Wright followed with a 1-under par 70.

In the men’s super senior division (65+), Friday’s low score was 75, shot by two different teams — Richard Smith-Bob Whitley and Bob Rusher-Jack Seybold.

One of the five women’s division teams qualified on Friday. Kristi Laton-Susan Morris carded an 82.