Pooler, GA – Former Georgia Tech golfer Taylor Hall of LaGrange, GA posted an 8-under 64 at Savannah Quarters Country Club in the first round of the Savannah Quarters Classic and will take a two-shot lead into Thursday's second round.

Hall began his round on the front nine at Savannah Quarters with three birdies against six pars for an outward nine of 3-under 33. A birdie-birdie start greeted him on the back nine of the Greg Norman-designed course, and an eagle at the par-5 13th quickly took him to 7-under on his round. A bogey at the par-4 14th was immediately offset by birdies at Nos. 15 and 17, and Hall was in with his round of 64.

"All of my birdie putts on the front nine were inside 5 feet, so that certainly made it easier," said Hall. "On 15 I hit a hybrid to 10 feet and made it for eagle. It was a good day."

Taylor Hall (Photo: Sam Morgan)Hall is one week removed from his rookie start on the eGolf Tour, following a T47 finish at the tour's season-opening Palmetto Hall Championship last week on nearby Hilton Head Island, SC.

"Last week's courses were pretty tight, so it was nice to be able to hit a lot more drivers today, and I was driving it well," Hall said. "It's nice to have some confidence."

Confidence is something that Hall used to have a plethora of for four years at Georgia Tech before a lackluster senior season left him with a sour taste in his mouth just prior to his pro debut last fall.

"I think I had big expectations my senior year, so when I began to play bad, I put a lot of pressure on myself," said Hall, a rare five-time ACC "All Academic" team selection. "I began to play a lot better last summer in amateur golf, and then got to second stage of Q-School, and now feel like I'm back to where I was."

Hall made it through to the second stage of the PGA TOUR's Qualifying Tournament last year at Callaway Gardens Resort in his home state of Georgia. A 72-hole total of 7-under 281 was one shot shy of putting him through to final stage, as 8-under was the cut line. Regardless, the 2001 Georgia State Golf Association "Junior Player of the Year" appears to have his game on track in familiar Peach State territory this week in Savannah.

Brent Witcher of Lawrenceville, GA and Shawn Jasper of Marthasville, MO sit tied for second after matching rounds of 6-under 66 at Savannah Quarters.

Witcher, a former Valdosta State University golfer, had a chance to catch Hall for the day one lead through 17 holes, but recorded a bogey at the par-4 18th and dropped two shots behind his lead.

Jasper had by far the best round of the afternoon wave in difficult conditions at Savannah Quarters. Starting on the front nine, the former University of Missouri standout notched three bogeys in his first four holes and immediately found himself behind the eight ball. A stellar closing nine of 6-under 30 more than made up for a slow start and gave him the best nine-hole tally of the day.

The low rounds of the day at The Club at Savannah Harbor, co-host of this week's event, came from Nationwide Tour player William McGirt and Jhared Hack, with each player carding matching rounds of 5-under 67 to sit in a tie for third.

Tied with McGirt and Hack at 5-under are Jeff Burns and Jonathan Fricke, who posted their rounds at Savannah Quarters.

A third trip to Savannah in the last calendar year brought yet again more weather challenges for the tour following two rain-plagued events in 2009. A brisk-yet-sunny morning in South Georgia was quickly met with clouds and a stiff wind as afternoon storms approached and pelted the area with rain showers. As a result, afternoon scores soared and left players struggling for birdies between the two fantastic layouts.

Second-round play in the Savannah Quarters Classic will begin at 7:50 AM on Thursday morning at both Savannah Quarters and Savannah Harbor. After the completion of 36 holes, the field will be cut to the low 71 players and ties, with the final two rounds being contested at Savannah Quarters. The tournament is open to the public and free of charge.