FAIRVIEW — Jason Dillard may not have been a contender, but his first-round score was the talk of the clubhouse Saturday afternoon at the Chesley Oaks Open.

Dillard fired off the lowest score of the day, shooting an impressive 59 at the annual tournament.

Since Dillard is a professional golfer, he chose not to defend his title at the Chesley Oaks Open. But since the Alabama Open is coming up in a few weeks, the superstitious pro thought he needed to play.

“This tournament has been somewhat of a ritual for me,” Dillard said. “It’s a habit I didn’t want to break. I’m not listed as a competitor, but I still wanted to play.”

Dillard has won the Alabama Open two consecutive times. The Cullman pro hopes to defend his title, but he also knows the competition will be tough.

“It’s not going to be easy,” said Dillard, who has been competing on the Hooters Tour. “I’m pretty sure of that.”

Dillard did more than play a round of golf Saturday. He put on a clinic — and the 70-plus people playing at Chesley Oaks took notice.

As the groups gradually made their way into the clubhouse, the first thing that caught their eyes was the 59 written at the bottom of the leaderboard.

Dillard’s 59 may have been the hot topic of conversation around the golf course, but it wasn’t the only solid score posted in the first round.

Andrew Freeman carries the lead into the final round after posting a 63 Friday. Kyle Pressley is in a close second at 64.

Brad Story, Kevin Byrd and Bill Wilks are all tied for third place after shooting 67s, while Micah Jett and J.J. Adams are in a tie for sixth with a pair of 68s.

The final round of the Chesley Oaks Open is scheduled for today. The first group tees off at 9:20 a.m., with the final group of Story, Pressley and Freeman starting at 12:56 p.m.