Southern Pines, N.C. – On a day best suited for the Open Championship, former British Amateur champion Drew Weaver of High Point, N.C. overcame a two-hour fog delay and wind gusts in excess of 30 mph at the eGolf Gateway Tour’s $100,000 Mid Pines Classic to post a 5-under 66, good for a one-shot lead through 18 holes of the 54-hole event.

With Mother Nature wreaking havoc throughout much of the Southeast this winter, an annoying trend kept pace on Wednesday morning at host Mid Pines Golf Club, as dense fog forced tour officials to halt the start of opening-round play four times before finally beginning the tournament at 10:00 AM after two hours of delays.

Once the fog lifted, the winds took over with temperatures rising from the low-40s to the mid-70s over the span of three hours. Players went from sitting idle for half the morning to struggling to stay upright as a steady 20 mph breeze burst into gusts up to 35 mph on the historic Donald Ross-designed course.

Weaver, playing in the day’s third pairing off of No. 1, stumbled early with a bogey on the par-3 second, but rallied shortly thereafter with birdies on Nos. 3, 5 and 6 to turn in 2-under 33.

“The wind really picked up on the back nine, but I had some pretty good notes in my yardage book, so I was comfortable with the shots,” said Weaver, 27.

Birdies on 10, 13 and 14 took the former Virginia Tech Hokie to 5-under for the day, with the effort on the lengthy par-3 13th coming courtesy of a laser 3-iron to 4 feet.

On the par-4 17th, a misjudged approach in the wind sailed over the green, leaving him with a bogey to fall to 4-under on the day.

Weaver, however, recovered admirably at the last by sticking his approach shot to 18 inches on the scenic, hotel-framed 18th to finish his day with one last birdie – good for a 5-under 66 and the event’s 18-hole lead.

“It was relatively clam early. I bogeyed the second hole, and it’s hard to get in the right mindset after all of those delays,” he said. “I was able to string a few birdies together, though, and I hit it great all day. That was one of my better ball-striking days.”

Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club

The affable former amateur star made a name for himself with the British Amateur win and a selection to the 2009 U.S. Walker Cup team, but cemented his name even further into the annals of golf lore with a dominant 2012 campaign on the eGolf Gateway Tour.

That year, the Atlanta, Ga. resident posted two wins and six additional top-3 finishes to win the tour’s money list with a dominant $121,737 in earnings.

After a somewhat downtrodden 2013 campaign, Weaver came back to life in 2014 with his fourth career win at the Spring Creek Classic and 13 top-25 finishes in 18 starts to wind up at No. 6 on the season-ending money list.

At last week’s Palmetto Hall Championship, rounds of 70-67-75-72—284 (4-under) delivered a T3 finish on a demanding venue, which allowed his good play to spill over into this week at Mid Pines.

“I was very pleased and optimistic with how things went at Palmetto Hall. I tend to string together good tournaments if I can just build on momentum, and I was able to do that last week,” said Weaver, who posted two wins and four runner-ups in a seven-event stretch during his 2012 breakout season. “I got a little rest between events and then came up here in an area I’m comfortable with. I really enjoy this week and this golf course.”

Weaver’s fast start could pay dividends over the next two days, as temperatures are projected to dip into the 20s with steady rain throughout much of Thursday’s second round and possible freezing rain early on Friday.

“I knew today was critical with the forecast being nasty for the next two days,” he said. “I’m happy with where my game is, and it’s a solid start.”

Two-time tour winner Ethan Tracy of Columbus, Ohio is alone in second place, one shot behind Weaver after opening with a 4-under 67.

Tracy, who missed the cut last week at Palmetto Hall, posted six birdies and two bogeys on Wednesday to slide in with his lowest round (to par) on tour since a second-round 68 at the Island View Casino Championship last September.

Ethan Tracy

A former Arkansas Razorback star, Tracy made a name for himself in 2011, winning the prestigious Western Amateur by defeating famed amateur Patrick Cantlay in the historic event’s championship match.

Along the way, the Ohio native defeated future PGA TOUR winners Derek Ernst and Jordan Spieth, thus solidifying his position amidst the game’s best up-and-coming stars.

Chase Parker of Augusta, Ga. recorded a 3-under 68 to sit in solo-third place on day one, two shots back of Weaver.

Parker, who entered the week with one made cut in nine career eGolf Gateway Tour starts, turned in 3-under 33 with a bogey-free effort on the course’s back nine.

On the front nine, the former Kentucky Wildcat hit roller coaster mode with a bogey-eagle-bogey-birdie-bogey stretch on Nos. 3 through 7 to fall to remain at 3-under par, where he eventually finished for first-round 68.

Second-round play at the Mid Pines Classic will begin at 8:00 AM on Thursday morning, with players competing in threesomes off of Nos. 1 and 10 tees. Following the conclusion of 36 holes, the field will be cut to the low 35 percent and ties for the final round of play. The tournament is open to the public and free of charge.