Dachisen's 2-under-par 70 Leads Njpga/njsga Senior Open

Chris Dachisen of North Jersey birdied each of the final three holes to finish with a 2-under-par 38-32-70 for a two-shot lead over defending champion Bill Britton of Trump National-Colts Neck after the first round of the 36-hole 25th NJPGA/NJSGA Senior Open on Monday at the par-72, 6,742-yard Navesink Country Club in Middletown.

Baker Maddera of Rock Spring holed out with a 7-wood for an eagle-3 on the par-5 second hole and rode it to a 1-over-par 73 to find himself three shots off the pace against blustery, cool conditions that made for a wind chill in the 40s. Three players tied for fourth place with 74s.

The low 51 players who shot 82 or better return for the final 18 holes on Tuesday.

VIEW PHOTO GALLERY FINAL SCORING & TUESDAY PAIRINGS

The field of 107 included seven former champions: Britton (2006, ’11, ‘12), Jon Tingley of Stanton Ridge (2010), Peter Busch of Galloping Hill (2009), Dachisen (2008), Bill King of Spring Lake (2007), Gary Ostrega of Hyatt Hills (2004) and Don Brigham of Battleground (2003).

Dachisen, 56, who has won 10 state majors including two State Opens (1997, 2001) and three Senior PGA titles, win the New Jersey PGA section championship at Navesink in 2000.

“I’ve been working hard on my swing the past three weeks, getting ready for the National Senior PGA next week at Bellerive in St. Louis. Normally, I’m not outside in this weather,” Dachisen said. “I’ve been hitting the ball real solid and not hooking like I have been. I felt comfortable today. The last nine holes, I had real good ball striking.”

Dachisen bogeyed the first hole, but got back to even with a birdie on the par-3 third hole thanks to a chip-in from 45 feet. He bogeyed each of the par-4 fourth and fifth holes for a two-over-par 38 on the front side. But he enjoyed a brilliant back nine with four birdies against no bogeys.

On the par-5 11th hole, he sank a 12-foot putt. He drained 15-foot birdie putts on the par-4 16th and par-3 17th, then closed out his round by hitting a 4 iron into the wind from 172 to within eight feet of the pin. He made the birdie putt for his backside 32 and 18-hole round of 70.

“I was just trying to keep it in the fairway because the rough is so high, then find the greens and give myself birdie opportunities,” Dachisen said. “I like playing here. It favors a control player. The long hitters don’t really have an advantage here.”

Britton started with a bogey but quickly righted himself with a birdie on the second hole. He was 2-over par at the turn after bogeys on the fifth and seventh holes. But added two birdies, on the 14th and 16th holes to get to even par for the day.

Britton, 57, a former PGA Tour player who won one event on tour, will join Dachisen next week at the Senior PGA Championship. Last week, he exited after the first round of the NJPGA Match-Play Championship at Liberty National.

"It was nice to know I had something coming up real quick after losing in mstch-play so I wouldn't dwell on it," he said. "I only play in 10 tournments per year nd I try to be ready for them. It seemed today, the tees were back on almost every hole. It was not set up easy.

"The rough was the toughest part, so I tried to stay out of there."

Maddera, 57, opened his round with a bogey on the par-4 first hole, but quickly turned things in his favor on the next hole when his fairway wood from 196 yards found the bottom of the cup for his eagle. He added a birdie on the par-5 eighth hole.

He had four bogeys on the day.

“I managed to survive,” said Maddera, once a runner-up in this event and winner of the State Open in 2002. “I can see how if you’re a little off your game, that this course can chew you up. Between the wind and the rough, the course was very challenging today.

“After I bogeyed the first hole, I was ready to turn around and go in. But with the eagle on the next hole, I quickly turned things around. It was a matter of hanging in there and having enough good strokes. I was able to string a bunch of pars together.”

Maddera, who won the NJPGA Match-Play Championship in 1996, was using a new putter, a Ping Nome, for the first time.

“I liked it because it was nice and heavy,” he said. “It was a good day. I had only one hole where I really screwed up, my bogey on nine, where I had a bad drive.”