Egger took the early lead with an even-par 72, but he didn't want to snub the six golfers with scratch handicaps who were considered favorites going into the two-day tournament for men age 35 and over.

Northern Ky. Mid-Amateur

MONDAY'S FIRST-ROUND SCORES at par-72 Kenton County Fox Run •  72: Jeff Egger •  73: Todd Martin, David Sironen •  74: Charlie Nieman, Matt Bowlin, Patrick Deming •  75: Curt Wueller •  76: Tim Hartig •  77: Gary Herfel, Jeff Floyd, Doug Miller, Tom Krpata, Scott Hansel, Rob Petrey •  78: Lance Lucas, Rob Clarke, Sean Brenner, Larry Travis, Doug Etler, Joey Whitford, Jason Yeager •  79: Paul Paoletti, Tim Ryan, Skip Goley, Nathan Glaser •  80: David Gastright •  81: Rob Flanigan, Bill Buss •  82: Todd Luebbe, Phil Harper, Michael Clark •  84: Robert Stobart •  86: Ronald Miller, Dan Maher •  87: Matt Recht, Kevin Kessnick •  89: Kirk Bachmann •  90: Perry Day, Carl Simpson, Michael Koehler •  91: Ron Sheppard •  92: Terry Bray, Jerry Vaughn •  93: Roy Sims •  95: Kent Marcum •  99: Michael Lehkamp Today's tee times •  9:30-9:50 a.m.: Handicap flight: golfers with first-round scores of 81 or higher. •  9:50-10:20 a.m.: Championship flight: golfers with first-round scores of 80 or lower.

"I don't pretend to be on the same level with those guys," Egger said. "With the course conditions the way they were (Monday), I just kept it in play and got lucky on a couple holes."

The Mid-Amateur field was split for today's final round of stroke play with the top 26 scorers in the championship flight and 20 in the handicap flight.

Egger is playing the final 18 holes with Todd Martin and David Sironen, who both shot 1-over 73s in the opening round to tie for second place.

Martin, a former club pro who recently regained his amateur status, is one of the six scratch golfers in the field. The list also includes defending champion Lance Lucas, who shot 6-over 78 on Monday.

But Egger isn't counting anybody out going into today's final round.

"As hard as Fox Run plays, it could really bunch everybody up and anybody could win it," he said.

Egger, 38, of Burlington, shot even par in Monday's first round with three birdies, 12 pars and three bogeys on his scorecard.

He said all three of his birdies came on short putts, including one on No. 18 that put him in the lead.

"I went for the green in two and missed it, but I got up and down out of the bunker and made a four-footer there," he said.

Egger also got a break on No. 10. He said his approach shot was far right, but the ball hit off a hillside and landed within two feet of the cup.

"I hit a lot of greens and on the ones I didn't hit I got lucky bounces that kept it in play," he said.

For today's final round, tournament officials plan to move back the tees as well as change the pin placement on the greens. But Egger plans to take the same approach as he did in the first round.

"I know it sounds cliché, but I'm just going to stay within my game," he said. "I've just got to play the shots I know I can play and not try to force anything."

Martin and Sironen, the two golfers tied for second place after Monday's first round, are making comebacks in the Mid-Amateur.

It's the first amateur event that Martin, 35, of Dry Ridge, has played in since he turned in his PGA card.

And it's the first tournament of any kind that Sironen, 44, of Florence, has entered since he moved to the area in 1991.

"When I got out there (Monday) I was no nervous," Sironen said. "I'm just trying to get back into competitive golf, but it felt like I was starting all over again."

Sironen started the first round on the No. 10 tee and shot 1-under 35 on the back nine. He said his score was 2-under after No. 14, but he bogeyed three of the last four holes.

"It was just stupid shots," Sironen said of his shaky finish. "I put it in the bunker on one hole and three-putted on the last hole."

Martin had such a problem with Fox Run's greens that he said he was going out to buy a new putter after Monday's first round.

"I just couldn't get the speed of the greens right," he said. "I had five putts within 10 feet of the pin and left them all short."

Martin made the turn at 3 over par, but he made three birdie putts on the back nine to finish among the leaders.

"I made a few bogeys early and a few birdies later on," he said. "Once I got relaxed I did fine."

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