RAPID CITY - A couple of very familiar faces are back on top of the South Dakota Golf Association's Two-Man Championships after the event's first day at the Golf Club at Red Rock.

Rapid City's Mike Brummer and Brookings' Pat Lockwood shot an 11-under par 61 that put them two shots in front of their nearest competitors Saturday after the best ball portion of the event. The event continues today with teams playing a Chapman format.

In a Chapman format, both players hit a tee shot, switch balls and hit their partner's tee shot and alternate shots in to the hole from there. The Brummer-Lockwood duo - winners of this event in 2003 - registered seven birdies and two eagles with no bogeys to take the lead over Brookings golfers Charlie Jacobson and Trent Peterson, who came away from the first day with a 63.

"We played extremely well," Brummer said. "We didn't duplicate anything, which is always nice in one of these events. I had five birdies and an eagle and Pat had two birdies and an eagle and they all came on different holes. That's how you go 11-under in one of these things."

Brummer was playing the event on his home course, something that he felt helped immeasurably.

"There are a lot of guys out here playing the course for just the first or second time," Brummer said. "That's really tough. You just have to play this course more than that to know all of the different, unique things about it - where you'll get a good bounce, where you won't, where a putt is going to break. There's a lot of uniqueness to this course that you just have to play a bit to figure out."

Lockwood and Brummer are certainly no strangers to being in this situation, having won numerous individual SDGA titles in addition to teaming up for the two-man title in '03. Todd Hofland and Brett Steen of Brookings won the 2007 Championship at Bakker Crossing Golf Course in Sioux Falls and are in the field this year along with past champions Chad Dubisar of Sioux Falls and Matt Einspahr of Brookings (2000-2001 champions). Brummer said meshing as a team is obviously key, but that dealing with some of the unique challenges of a partnership in an individual game is even bigger.

"There are a lot of differences about playing with a partner," Brummer said. "You might not get to hit a putt for five or six holes and then you're over a 7-footer. Then when you step up over a putt you really don't want to leave your partner a 4-footer coming back. There are a lot of differences about playing with a partner, so you really need to have good karma with each other."

With a course that provides plenty of break and undulation from tee boxes all the way to the hole, Brummer's understanding of where to hit putts in particular was important.

"I think that makes him (Lockwood) a little more comfortable," Brummer said. "We're on my home course so I can help with the read on a putt and say, 'Well, you should probably hit it here.'"

Sioux Falls' Ryan Jansa and Steve Reiter are three shots back at 64 while three groups are tied at 65. Area golfers Jon Lesselyoung and Jeff Salter (Rapid City) and Lead's Tyler Evenson and Lance Collins are another shot back at 66.