Imagine the angst Kyle Ellis felt when he arrived at the Chattahoochee Golf Course only to find out that his recent weakness was possibly going to be exposed.

After struggling with his putting leading into this weekend’s four-day tournament, he was about to put it to the test on a course that was tweaked specifically to make the putting more challenging for the Georgia Sports Orthopedic Specialists Classic.

“I’ve been struggling with my putting lately,” Ellis said. “I got here to Chattahoochee on Monday and the greens were lightning fast.”

It turns out that putting was one of strengths of Ellis’ game as he shot to the front of the tournament leaderboard after a first round 66 Thursday during the opening round of the National Golf Association Hooters Tour’s fourth event of the season.

Ellis, from Sanatobia, Miss., was one of five golfers to finish with a 5-under par on the par-71 course.

“We have five players all at 5-under par after the first round, so they’re definitely hitting the ball where they’re supposed to on the green,” said Chattahoochee director of golf Rodger Hogan, who fired a 77. “All the feedback about the course from the players has been extremely positive.”

Ellis finished the first round with six birdies, and also hit between 7-10 putts in the 10- to 15-foot range. He says that all the attention centered on the speed of the greens was well deserved.

“If you putt well, then you’re going to be in position to win no matter where you play,” said Ellis, who placed in the Top 10 in the season opening event early in March in Ocala, Fla. “Overall, I’m very pleased with my performance (Thursday).”

Getting used to the undulation of the greens was the biggest adjustment for players, the majority of which have never played the course previous to practice and qualifying earlier in the week.

“If you put the ball on the wrong part of the green, then you can 3-putt quickly,” said Jerry Price, who is also part of the pack at 66. “If you leave the ball 40- to 50-feet away from the hole, then you’re going to struggle.”

Chip Deason joined the club at 66 by avoiding any 3 putts during the opening round. Deason managed to save par on No. 4, which typically plays as a par 5, after his tee shot hit a tree and landed in the rough. His second shot landed just short of the green, setting the stage for an up-and-down for par.

“That was just a bad tee shot and I was happy that I was able to sneak away with par,” said Deason, who hit the fairway on every other hole on the day.

The group at 67 is even bigger. Seven golfers in the 168 player field carded a four-under par during the tournament’s first day of play.

Ted Potter, from Silver Springs, Fla., rebounded from a four-putt on the day’s first hole, along with a pair of holes with three putts to finish in the group of golfers one shot off of the leading group’s pace.

After his rough first hole, Potter birdied No. 2 and finished the front side at 1-over par. On the back side, he started with back-to-back birdies and six birdies on the back nine. He said the key to staying in contention in the tournament is to finish 3-or-4 shots under par each day and hopefully finish around 16-under par for the weekend.

“If you do that, then you have a chance to win,” Potter said. “I don’t see there being any 20-under scores this weekend.”

Murrayville’s Josh Bunch shot a 71, Buford’s Tim Weinhart carded a 74 and Clarkesville’s Michael Gordy shot a 75 during the opening round.

Of course, what drew as many rave reviews as the course’s playing conditions was the weather. After a chilly first couple weeks to open the Hooters Tour season, players could only wish for this balmy weather to continue.

“It was terrible weather the past few weeks,” Deason said. “Playing in 75, 80-degree weather is great.”