The defending champion Joseph Deraney (Belden, Miss.) picked up right where he left off at The Club at Carlton Woods, shooting a bogey-free 4-under 68 at the Nicklaus Course to take a three-shot lead after the first round of the 14th annual Carlton Woods Invitational.
Deraney, who last year won the title by two shots at the Fazio Course at Carlton Woods, held steady on a day where the winds gusted over 20 miles per hour.