In a grouping that included 8th ranked Jackson Byrd from Sea Island, Georgia, and local favorite Tip Price from Greenville, local fans out to see the first round of the Bobby Chapman Junior at The Country Club of Spartanburg were wondering who was that third guy.

If you were from Marvin, North Carolina you would not be asking that question.

Many of the fans knew Byrd as the highest rated player in the field and got some attention by being the son of former Clemson All-American and five-time PGA Tour winner Jonathan Byrd.

Price has been an Upstate favorite since he won the Drive-Chip and Putt competition at August National when he was 11 years old. Now he is a rising star in the ultra competitive South Carolina Junior and High School golf ranks.

Will Hartman, Class of 2025, has a golfing resume that keeps him in any conversation with his two playing competitors.

Hartman was last years North Carolina High School AAAA champion and the fifth place finisher in the AJGA Polo Golf Junior Classic last spring as a top line on his golf resume.

Hartman shot a 7-under par 64 making 8 birdies in the opening round on the 6,700 yard course reduced to a par 71 from its usual par 72 because of the quality of the field.

The first round leader got off to a quick start making birdies on two of his first three holes and making the turn at 5-under par.

He started the back nine with two more birdies and added another one on the par-5 17th hole to post his 64 and take a four-shot lead.

“I got pretty lucky today,” said Hartman. “I hit a lot of good shots, left myself with a lot of easy putts and that’s what you have to do around here to make them because the greens are so tough,” he suggested.

Trailing the leader is another local favorite, William Jennings from Greenville.

Jennings won the Carolinas Boys Junior championship when he was just 14 and has added wins in The Blade and high finishes in the Junior Heritage and AJGA Wyndham to solidify his spot as the 27th ranked junior in the country.

Jennings shot an opening round 3-under par 68.

His first nine started with an eagle, but his round ended with a bogey on 18.

Kyle Haas from Winston-Salem is another famous name in the field. Hi father Jerry is the coach at Wake Forest and his uncle Jay lists among his golfing achievements making the most cuts, ever, by a PGA Tour player.

The Class of 2023 member shot his 3-under par 68 without any big numbers, 5 birdies and two bogeys on his scorecard to total his 69.

Hartman’s group produced a 1-under par 70 for Byrd to tie for 7th while Price shot a 3-over 74 to fall into a tie for 31st.

When the field tees off for the second round, Hartman will not be “that guy” anymore. He is the tournament leader who hopes to play the second round with the same control he did on Friday.

“Going into tomorrow I’m just going to try and stay calm and hit the repeat button,” and if Hartman can do that, it will put him one step closer to adding a new top line to his golfing resume.

First Round scores from the Bobby Chapman Junior https://scjga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/scjga22/event/scjga2220/contest/1/leaderboard.htm