Mallard Golf Club played tough in the first round of the Lake Charles City Championship on Friday, but a pair of former champions managed to tame the course.

Four-time champion Matt Nicholas led at 4-under 68 after a bogey-free round, while 2007 champ Blake DeReese was a stroke back.

“It was really good,” Nicholas said of the course. “I have been playing really good golf.

“I hit the ball really solid, didn’t make any mistakes and went bogey-free. The course is great. They have done a great job for being so new. I look forward to the next two days. It is a fun challenge. Hopefully we can stay the course and bring home the trophy.”

Nicholas, who last won the tournament in 2016, thrived on the four par-5 holes with an eagle on No. 13, birdie on No. 8 and broke even on Nos. 4 and 18.

“The course played fair,” Nicholas said. “I had the goal to play all the par-5s at 3 under.

“I knew if I did that I would be all right. It was great. I had 240 to back flag and hit a 4-iron to just cover the bunker and went up to 4 feet, so it was pretty easy.”

The course played nearly 41/2 strokes over par for the championship flight, and the final four holes were especially brutal. Channing Kile had the only birdies over those holes on Nos. 17 and 18 and was five shots off the lead with Thad Gaspard and John Morrissey at 73. That closing stretch produced 30 bogeys and five triple bogeys or worse.

“They are hard holes,” DeReese said. “The par-3 15, then you have 16 that gives you a little bit of a break.

“We hit sand wedges into that. Seventeen is a tough driving hole, a demanding hole. It

is a shallow green. Then 18 you have to hit two good golf shots to get your ball on the green.”

DeReese had Nicholas by a stroke after birdies on Nos. 11 and No. 13 and sat at 5 under. But he slipped with bogeys on Nos. 15 and 17.

“I played really good for how bad I have been playing,” DeReese said. “I was pleased.

“I chipped in on No. 7 for birdie to get to 3 under, and that was probably the biggest. Then I bogeyed 17. I hope that I keep putting well. The rest I will deal with. The only putts I missed was on the par-3 15. I left it dead in the mouth, then on 17, I left one dead in the mouth. Then on 18 I left one for birdie like half a ball.”

Defending champion Hank Shaheen withdrew after the 14th hole.

First-Round Scores

Championship Flight

Matt Nicholas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Blake DeReese. . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Cody Vincent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Thad Gaspard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

John Morrissey. . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Channing Kile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Clint Stewart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Gage Primeaux. . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Kye Hanks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Zachary Robertson. . . . . . . . 76

Ian James. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Alex Augustine. . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Connor Castille. . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Byron Martin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Neithan Allen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Chris Gentry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Ladnon Beier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Jaxson Caldwell. . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Hank Shaheen. . . . . . . . . . . . WD

Tee Times

At Mallard Cove

Today

Championship Flight

7:30 a.m. — Chris Gentry, Landon Beier, Jaxon Caldwell.

7:38 — Connor Castille, Byron Martin, Neithan Allen.

7:46 — Kye Hanks, Zachary Robertson, Ian James, Alex Augustine.

7:54 — Thad Gaspard, Gage Primeaux, Clint Stewart, Channing Kile.

8:02 — Matt Nicholas, Blake DeReese, John Morrissey, Cody Vincent.

First Flight

8:10 — David Girola, BIll Hamrick, David Martin.

8:18 — Chance Curlee, Jake Smith, Cody Stroud, Chance Terrell.

Second Flight

8:26 — Mike Castille, Patrick Osborne, Zachary Vincent, Tyler Richard.

8:34 — Noah Hinton, Austin Creel, Cole Bergeron, Connor Thompson.

Third Flight

8:42 — Clayton Ashford, Gray Guillory, Tyler Istre.

8:50 — Mike Beglis, Billy Creel, Matt Purgahn.

8:58 — Alvin Langley, William Wiese, Mike Farley.

9:06 — Jake Daughenbaugh, David Duzan, Jeffrey Harper, Andrew Hebert.

Fourth Flight

9:14 — Ricky Menard, Matt Stewart, Dwight Gerst, Michael Yocham.

9:22 — Samuel Lavoi, Dewayne Hightower, Alex Buller, Blake Reynolds.

Fifth Flight

9:30 — Jordan Poole, Derrick Fendley, Caleb Miller.

9:38 — Cody Miller, Shane Curlee, Ryan Benoit.

9:46 — Brandon Picou, Chase Parmentier, Jason Kaliszeski, Tony Colletta.

Senior Flight

9:54 — Todd Mathis, Michael Carter, Todd Fontenot, Michael Broussard.

10:02 — Troy Higginbotham, Doug Quienalty, Bill Kiteley, Kevin Primeaux.

10:10 — Ricky Norwood, Brent Soileau, Terry Hagen, Brad Buller.

10:18 — David Huber, Vince Castille, Scott Landreneau, Carl LeMaire.

10:26 — Mike Abshire, Doyle Carter, Walt Dulany, Joey Bourgeois.

10:34 — Kurt Hamilton, Philip Jardell, Randy Jones, Timothy Meyer.

Super Senior Flight

10:42 — Pap Williams, Dexter Naylor, Samuel Baynes, Gene Loar.

10:50 — Joe Landry, Sam Morris, Terry Mullis, Sam Marsiglia.

10:58 — Randy Tadlock, Sid Bradley, David Flanagan, Mike Cagle.

11:06 — Ricky Anderson, Val East, Lindsay Barnes, Charlie Buller.

Past Winners

Past winners of the Lake Charles City golf championship.

The tournament was changed to a 54-hole (par-216) format for the championship flight in 1997:

2022 — Hank Shaheen. . . . 213

2021 — No tournament

2020 — No tournament

2019 — Phillip Hoffpauir. . 213

2018 — Neithen Allen. . . . . 208

2017 — Gage Primeaux. . . 204

2016 — Matt Nicholas. . . . . 207

2015 — Neithen Allen. . . . . 209

2014 — Matt Nicholas. . . . . 212

2013 — Neithen Allen. . . . . 205

2012 — Robby Going. . . . . 210

2011 — Jacob LeJeune. . . . 214

2010 — Jacob LeJeune. . . . 200

2009 — Jason Horn. . . . . . . 206

2008 — Robby Going. . . . . 203

2007 — Blake DeReese. . . . 210

2006 — Billy Gabbert. . . . .212

2005 — George Cestia. . . . 212

2004 — Matt Nicholas . . . . 208

2003 — Billy Gabbert. . . . . 208

2002 — Billy Gabbert. . . . . 213

2001 — Matt Nicholas. . . . .209

2000 — Billy Gabbert. . . . . 208

1999 — Phillip Hoffpauir. . 143

1998 — Phillip Hoffpauir. . 210

1997 — *Billy Gabbert. . . . 226

1996 — *+Chris Malone. . . 106

1995 — Billy Gabbert.. . . . . 142

1994 — Brian Hirsch Jr.. . . . 146

1993 — Wayne Sweeney. . 147

1992 — *Phillip Hoffpauir. 146

1991 — *+Chris Johnson. . 110

1990 — David Berry. . . . . . . 149

1989 — ++Benny Holcombe.71

1988 — *Lawrence David. 146

1987 — Keith Harris. . . . . . . 140

1986 — Billy Gabbert. . . . . 142

1985 — *Rick Woodsen. . .147

1984 — Don Bladen. . . . . . . 146

1983 — Scott Reeves. . . . . . 145

1982 — Billy Trent. . . . . . . . . 143

1981 — Ron O’Brien. . . . . . . 147

1980 — Don Scott. . . . . . . . 139

1979 — Don Scott. . . . . . . . 142

1978 — Ron O’Brien. . . . . . . 151

* — won playoff; + — rain shortened (27 holes); ++ — rain shortened (18 holes).

Most Championships

Billy Gabbert, 7; Matt Nicholas, 4; Neithen Allen, 3; Phillip Hoffpauir, 4; Robby Going, 2; Jacob LeJeune, 2; Ron O’Brien, 2; Don Scott 2. One: Hank Shaheen, Blake DeReese, Gage Primeaux, George Cestia, Chris Malone, Brian Hirsch Jr., Wayne Sweeney, Chris Johnson, Jason Horn, David Berry, Benny Holcombe, Lawrence David, Keith Harris, Rick Woodsen, Don Bladen, Scott Reeves, Billy Trent.