Concord, N.C. – With three holes to go in Wednesday’s opening round of the eGolf Gateway Tour’s 12th annual Cabarrus Classic, Dykes Harbin of Augusta, Ga. needed three birdies to post golf’s magical number of 59.

The former South Carolina standout, who notched career win No. 1 at the Willow Creek Open in May, didn’t close with the headline-grabbing trifecta of birdies needed, but nevertheless opened the week with a 9-under 63 at host Cabarrus Country Club for a two-shot lead through day one of the 54-hole event.

Harbin, who started his week on the back nine of the classic George Cobb-designed course, began his torrid march towards the opening-round lead with birdies on 10, 11, 14, 15 and 16 to post 5-under 31 on his outward nine.

An eagle-birdie start to his closing nine on the par-5 first and the par-4 second vaulted the 24-year-old to 8-under par and in the outright lead by himself.

Birdies on Nos. 4 and 6 took Harbin to 10-under par and to the tee of the par-3 seventh, where a birdie-birdie-birdie finish would have left him with a share of the tour’s all-time scoring record of 59.

“Seven was playing dead into the wind. It wasn’t a hard pin, but it wasn’t an easy birdie,” said Harbin, who pared the uphill par-3. “I really wasn’t thinking about 59 too much today – I was hitting it good and putting well, so it was really just fun.”

On the par-5 eighth, Harbin walked away with a disappointing par that all but ruled out his venture into mini-tour-golf immortality.

“I hit a good tee shot on No. 8, but got a little bit of mud on the ball and my second shot wound up short and left of the green,” he said. “From there I didn’t get up and down. I actually made a pretty good par putt to be honest.”

A three-putt bogey from 60 feet on the par-4 ninth was not the finish Harbin was targeting, but rather one that left him with a 9-under 63 and sole possession of Wednesday’s opening-round lead.

“After last week, I didn’t touch a golf club on Sunday or Monday. I was tired and worn out from playing, and sometimes I play my best golf when I take time off,” he said. “I don’t really have any expectations.”

The 63 marked a career-low for Harbin, and was one shot off the all-time course record at Cabarrus – set by current Web.com Tour member Ted Brown in the 2008 Southern Open.

The 9-under-par round also continued a stellar 2015 campaign for the former Gamecock, who entered the week at No. 7 on the tour’s 2014-15 money list with $35,879 in earnings – thanks to the win at Willow Creek and a playoff loss at the Mid Pines Classic in March.

Michael Cromie

Harbin re-committed himself to his swing and his overall approach a few months ago, which immediately paid dividends with the breakthrough victory at Willow Creek.

That drive and determination, however, was also offset with a conscientious effort to not burnout in what can be a tiring game both mentally and physically.

“I’ll grind on the range and work my butt off, but when it gets real hot or I start getting tired, I’ll just go work out or something so that I don’t wear down,” he said.

As with most players in the developmental tour ranks, the entire year gives way to Web.com Tour Q-School in the fall, where a handful of players ascend to the PGA TOUR’s developmental circuit before moving up to the TOUR itself. That opportunity, which comes down to three or four weeks of golf, sits in the back of Harbin’s mind as he continues to play through the best year of his career.

“I’m probably going to play a lighter schedule after July, but I’m going to keep playing,” he said. “Hopefully I’m not peaking too early or playing well at the right time, but the fall is really important so I have to keep grinding.”

Michael Cromie of Cary, N.C. is in solo-second place after a 7-under 65.

The 23-year-old birdied four of his first seven holes to race out to a 4-under-par start, but bogeyed Nos. 17 and 18 (his eighth and ninth) to turn in 2-under 34.

From there, Cromie played brilliantly, notching birdies on Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5 and 8 to round out a closing 31 and a 7-under 65 on the day.

The former University of Georgia standout is in his first full season on tour, and has handled himself admirably of late, posting a runner-up effort at last month’s Mimosa Hills Open to go alongside two additional top-20 finishes in his last five starts.

Cromie cemented his legacy in Carolinas’ amateur golf lore last summer when he won the prestigious North & South Amateur at Pinehurst No. 8, in turn becoming the first player in history to win both the junior and amateur versions of the well-known event.

In the championship match, Cromie twice delivered unlikely hole-outs for eagle – once from 75 yards and again from 155 yards – on his way to defeating Corey Connors for the title.

Richard Fountain

Richard Fountain of Raleigh, N.C. and Corey Nagy of Charlotte, N.C. are tied for third, three shots off of Harbin’s pace after matching rounds of 6-under 66.

Fountain, who played in the day’s opening twosome off of No. 1 tee at 8:00 AM, is one month removed from grabbing his first tour win at the Spring Creek Classic in Virginia.

The 23-year-old former Davidson College golfer has posted seven made cuts in 11 starts this year, with the win and four additional top-25 finishes giving way to $26,225 in earnings – good for 17th on the tour’s money list.

Nagy, the tour’s leading money winner in 2011, played bogey-free golf on Wednesday morning en route to his 6-under 66, which marked his low round of the year.

The four-time “All America” selection at UNC Charlotte opened his 2015 campaign with back-to-back top-25s at the Nova Tax Group Open and the Sedgefield Classic, but missed his last two cuts entering the week in Concord.

In his second year on tour in 2011, Nagy shined, collecting three wins and over $89,000 to clip current PGA TOUR member Jason Kokrak for the season-long money title.

Since then, the 26-year-old has competed between the Web.com Tour and the eGolf Gateway Tour, missing time on the former after a bout of vertigo left him with a medical extension.

Second-round play in the Cabarrus Classic will begin at 8:00 AM on Thursday morning at Cabarrus Country Club. Following the conclusion of 36 holes, the field will be cut to the low 35 percent and ties for Friday’s final round. The tournament is open to the public and free of charge.