NORTH NORWICH – The team at the top of the 50th Annual Canasawacta Country Club Men’s Member-Guest Tournament is the same pair that led number 49.

Tim Carson and Scott Seiler, runners-up the previous two years, shot a 5-under-par 65 to grab a two-shot lead over Doug Wilson and Joe Gutosky. Nine-time champion Bob Branham and his son Mike are three back finishing 2-under-par.

Carson and Seiler birdied three holes on the front nine, but stood at just one-under par. The team caught fire on the par-five 13th hole. Carson nearly holed out his five-iron for a double-eagle finishing just six inches away for a tap-in eagle. Scott Seiler followed that up with a birdie on the par-three 14th hole.

“We weren’t trying to go out and birdie any particular holes, we just wanted to play steady golf,” Carson said after the round.

Carson was asked if he and Seiler learned anything from last year when his team grabbed the early lead. “We didn’t win,” he quipped. “We played well for two rounds, but neither one of us was happy with the way we finished the tournament.”

Only five teams broke par among the 100-team field, but seven duos shot level par, and the top-20 teams were at three-over-par or better.

This year’s format allows for only the top-eight teams to qualify for the championship flight making for an exciting second day. “There’s going to be a playoff to determine the eight teams,” predicted Canasawacta Country Club head professional David Branham. “Especially with a mess like that at the top of the leaderboard.”

Defending champions Tim Mirabito and Ken Stewart shot a 72 in Thursday’s morning round, seven shots back of Carson and Seiler. Last year, Mirabito-Stewart were seven shots off Carson and Seiler’s first-round pace, but rallied over the final two days to force a playoff.

Second-round action begins today with the first of two shotgun starts at 8 a.m. and the latter at 1:30 p.m.

First-round Scoring

(top-20 teams)

Carson-Seiler 65

Wilson-Gutosky 67

B. Branham-M. Branham 68

H. Skillin-B. Berry 69