Dakota Dunes Casino Open
July 5-8, 2012 
Dakota Dunes Casino Open (36-36) Par 72 
Purse: $150,000
Winner's share: $24,000

Weather: 24 degrees celsius, winds gusting to 25 km/h 

First Round Leaderboard (bold denotes Canadian)  
Michael Gligic, Burlington, ON - 65 (-7) 
Matt Hoffman, Thornhill, ON - 66 (-6) 
Matt Hill, Sarnia, ON - 67 (-5) 
Derek Gillespie, Oshawa, ON - 67 (-5) 
Trey Denton, Madison, Mississippi - 67 (-5) 
Jose de Jesus Rodriguez, Mexico - 67 (-5) 
Nathan Stamey, Bluffton, SC - 67 (-5)
Jason Scrivener, Australia - 68 (-4) 
Jesse Smith, Dover, NH - 68 (-4) 
Andy Matthews, Ada, MI - 68 (-4) 
Matt Johnston, Winnipeg, MB - 68 (-4)
Clint Schiller, Lloydminster, SK - 68 (-4) 

(July 5, 2012 - Saskatoon, SK) - Michael Gligic of Burlington, ON made five birdies and an eagle for a seven-under 65, grabbing first round lead Thursday at the fifth playing of the Dakota Dunes Casino Open.  

The 22-year old, who won the ATB Financial Classic presented by TELUS two weeks ago in Edmonton for his first Canadian Tour victory, birdied his first hole and followed with an eagle at the par-five second as well as birdies at the seventh, 10th, 11th and 14th holes.  

"This course suits my eye. I've liked it here since the first time I played it in 2009," said Gligic, who currently sits third on the Canadian Tour Order of Merit.  

After winning in Edmonton, Gligic is looking to bounce back from a missed cut at the Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON in Fort McMurray. Gligic said the week following his victory in Edmonton was tiring, but that's he's feeling refreshed this week and looking for more.  

"It was tough. Monday and Tuesday I got a lot of texts, tweets and everything from friends and family and it was tough to follow it up," said Gligic. "I'm feeling good this week and hopefully I can keep playing well." 

One shot behind Gligic with a six-under 66 was 25-year old Matt Hoffman, the 2011 Canadian Rookie of the Year. Teeing off on the 10th hole, Hoffman got off to a blazing start, eagling the par-5 10th and posted birdies on his next four holes to go six-under through his first five holes. Hoffman would make two more birdies and two bogeys to post 66. 

"That eagle relaxed me a little bit. I was a little tense before the round, but I was able to roll in some putts from there and just stayed relaxed," said Hoffman, who hails from Thornhill, ON. 

Matt Hill of Sarnia, ON, last week's runner-up, carded one of the best rounds of the afternoon wave with a five-under 67.  Tied with Hill was a large contingent of players including 2011 Order of Merit winner Jose de Jesus Rodriguez, two-time Canadian Tour winner Derek Gillespie and two-time runner-up Trey Denton. 

Other notable scores from Dakota Dunes included two-time Rivermead Cup winner Adam Hadwin and defending champion Joe Panzeri at even-par, and last week's winner Cory Renfrew at one-over 73. 

The second round of the Dakota Dunes Casino Open will begin Friday at 7:30 AM CST.