COLUMBUS - Georgia Southwestern golfers J.P. Griffin and Nate Gahman earned an invitation to participate in this week's prestigious Southeastern Amateur tournament on the par-71 Donald Ross course at the the Country Club of Columbus.

Participating players had to fill out an application and be accepted into the 96-player field or earn a spot through a qualifying event on Tuesday. Griffin and Gahman were included in the field prior to the qualifier.

The format is 72 holes of stroke play over a four-day event. Round 1 was played on Wednesday. The field will be cut to the low 60 and ties and anyone within 10 shots of the lead after 54 holes.

Gahman led through nine holes on Day 1 with a 3-under par. He finished with an opening-round 74.

Griffin posted a 75 on Wednesday.

Live scoring for the Southeastern Amateur is available by clicking here.

The Southeastern Amateur was created in 1922 by Fred Haskins who was recommended by, and later encouraged to entertain the offer by, Robert Tyre Jones (Bobby Jones).

Since that time, the Southeastern has been held in both match-play and stroke-play formats.

Past winners include PGA players Doug Sanders,Danny Edwards, Curtis Strange, Kenny Knox, and Allen Doyle. Included on the runner-up list are Gary Koch, Ben Crenshaw, Fuzzy Zoeller, Andy Bean, Willy Wood, and Paul Azinger. Aaron, Crenshaw, and Zoeller wear the green jacket of a Masters Champion, and Doyle launched into his senior tour career shortly after winning his fifth Southeastern, where he has won the Senior U.S. Open twice.