Mike Guerra was in such a good position after the first day of the Class 5A state golf tournament that he could afford to joke about the course.

"It was my first time here (Monday)," Guerra said of the Eisenhower Blue Course. "(Actually), I've grown up playing here, since I was about 7."

That familiarity paid off in the first round as Guerra of Air Academy shot a 1-under-par 71, which included three birdies and two bogeys.

Even though he was the only golfer in the field of 84 to break par, Guerra still had a few regrets.

"I was hitting fairways and greens, but at the end, I just missed some putts," he said. "I missed probably four or five putts within 6 feet."

Guerra had a strong front nine, carding consecutive birdies on the par-4 No. 5 and par-3 No. 6 and parring the rest. He kept it going with another birdie after making the turn, but he three-putted the 13th and missed a tap-in on 15 for 37.

"Every putt I missed, I pulled," he said. "Something's wrong with my stroke right now. I was just not making all the 4-footers. If I would have done that, I would have had a really good round, 68 or 67."

Several golfers mentioned they had a tough time putting. The course almost is a mountain course, which often means a big break on the greens.

"It's hard to get yourself to trust (your reads)," Douglas County's Cody Kent said. "I had probably three or four that were just 4-footers. I couldn't get myself to play enough break, and I left them out, low side."

Kent shot 74, keeping him in contention. There is only one shot separating Guerra's first-place standing from his nearest challenger.

Fairview's Brennan Dolan is that challenger. The Knights' senior shot even-par 72 after a roller-coaster round.

Dogged with a persistent cough, Dolan had five birdies, three bogeys and one double bogey. He seemed encouraged by a habit of coming back from bad holes and wild shots with birdies and recovery shots.

"That's probably the most sporadic round I ever had, especially on a stage like this," Dolan said. "I got it into the clubhouse. That's all that matters."

Dolan, last year's runner-up, is alone in second place, but he and Guerra also have other concerns. The team race is tighter than the individual, with a three-way tie for first place.

Dolan said last year he was concerned only with shooting the best score possible, but this time, he is intent on keeping the team trophy in Boulder.

"Last year, that was my focus, completely on the individual," he said. "But after going through it, the banner and the rings and the bonding of state, hands down I wanted a team state championship 10 times more than last year."

Cherry Creek, Regis and defending champion Fairview are at 227. Air Academy, which has only three golfers, and Douglas County are one shot back.

Cherry Creek was in the same situation last year with the first-day lead but faded Tuesday. This time, the Bruins got good Monday scores from veteran Alex Gutesha (74) and Jack Farrow (76), and coach Bob Kubiak said Cherry Creek is determined not to fall apart on Day 2.

Douglas County also is well-positioned because of two golfers who are shooting low scores. Derek Fribbs carded a 73 and teammate Kent was one shot back.

Fribbs, Arapahoe's David Holtgrewe and Overland's Jonathan Park are tied for third place after shooting 73.