San Jacinto, CA (My Sportsbook) - Craig Bowden posted a four-under 67 and shares the first-round lead at the inaugural Soboba Classic with Michael Putnam and Garrett Osborn.

Those three top a crowded leaderboard that has 11 players tied one stroke behind the leaders. The group at minus-three includes Tom Scherrer, Garrett Willis, Jay Delsing, Bubba Dickerson, Garth Mulroy, Dave Schultz, Derek Lamely, Tyrone Van Aswegen, Brendan Steele, Brian Stuard and Jerod Turner.

Bowden stumbled to a bogey on the second, but recovered nicely as he drained three straight birdies from the fifth. After dropping another stroke on the 11th, he bounced back with a birdie on No. 12.

The three-time winner on the Nationwide Tour birdied the 15th, but gave that shot right back with a bogey on 16. Bowden birdied the last two holes to share the lead after one round at The Country Club at Soboba Springs.

"You have to drive it in the fairway and you have to be patient," Bowden said. "If you can get it in the fairways here, you can make some good numbers."

Putnam was the only leader to start on the back nine and he parred his first six holes. After a bogey on 16, Putnam birdied 18 to turn at even-par.

Around the turn, Putnam birdied the first four holes on the front nine. He stumbled to a bogey on the fifth, but birdied No. 8 to finish at minus-four.

"I hit it close the first six holes and then bogeyed 16, so I was feeling pretty down," Putnam admitted. "I felt like I could have been two- or three- under and I was one-over, but then it caught up to me. The ones that didn't go in the first six holes all went in together."

Osborn posted three birdies over the first six holes. Around the turn, he notched birdies on 10 and 14 to move to minus-five. However, Osborn tripped to a bogey on the par-four 16th to share the first-round lead.

"It's a thinker's golf course," explained Osborn, who was the only player to reach minus-five. "You have to pay attention to where you miss it, either coming into the greens or off the tee. If you miss it in the wrong spot on these greens, you're going to make bogey.

"I like playing courses like this, where par means something."

Bob May and Brenden Pappas head a group of 13 players tied for 15th at two- under 69. Twenty more players are one stroke back at minus-one.