Disheartened. Disappointed. Disgruntled.

These words described the play for many during the first day of the Moila Invitational at Moila Country Club on Saturday. Of the 78 pairs that entered the best-ball event, 17 finished under par (71) and only nine carded scores under 70.

To put it in perspective, even the leaders appeared a little flustered. Caleb Carter and Aaron Lisenbee finished with a 7-under 64, and Carter called the team's play merely mediocre.

"It was very average," said Carter, who earlier in the day also finished in the top eight at the Missouri Amateur Championship, which was played at St. Joseph Country Club. "We didn't do anything too spectacular, and we parred a lot of holes we shouldn't have."

Jim Kates and Mitch Girres, who shot a 6-under 65, sat in second place. Although the duo is happy to be in second, they still wondered what could have been after scoring two early eagles.

"We really struggled coming home," Girres said.

Two-time defending city champion Brad Nurski and partner Mark Korell were heavy favorites coming into the day with Korell looking to win his fifth Moila title with a third different partner. However, after the first round, the pair tied for third place with Josh Maggart and Landon Hochenauer at 67.

While Nurski called the greens slow, he admitted they only had themselves to blame.

"We just hit bad shots," Nurski said.

The St. Joseph father-son pair of Greg Diederich Sr. and Greg Diederich Jr. also had a rough day deserving a club toss, finishing in fifth with a 3-under 68. The Diederichs were especially disappointed after winning the pre-invite horse race the day before.

The top five all played in the afternoon, as several teams who had finished play at the Missouri Amateur, such as Nurski and Korell, entered late.

"We thought it might be easier, but gosh dang, it's a strong field now," Diederich Sr. said.