Jacob Paulk and Dan Luke returned to Clear Creek Golf Course on Saturday to defend their title in the Bud Light 3-Man Scramble. They still have to get through 18 more holes and some savvy local veterans to do it, but they’re on the right path.

Paulk and Luke, along with third man Justin Hayes, shot a 57 on Saturday to earn a share of the lead at the halfway point of the two-day tournament. They’re tied with Vicksburg resident Nick Mekus — a former Warren County champion — and his partners Ricky Irby and Stephen Olier.

The two groups will tee off together on the first hole at 1 p.m. Sunday. Clear Creek will be closed to the public on Sunday.

Two shots behind them, at 59, was the team of Corey Waltman, Graham Upshaw and Patrick Dickson. Three other teams were another shot back at 60, and all 12 teams in the championship flight are within five shots of the lead.

Paulk and Luke, a former Meridian Community College golfer, teamed with their friend David Adams for a one-shot win at the 2017 Bud Light Scramble. The tournament is one of the biggest that Clear Creek hosts each year, with 102 total players.

Thirty-four teams are playing in the tournament, and were separated into three flights after Saturday’s first round. The winners of each flight will split $1,200 in prize money, and the top four teams in each flight will win some cash.

The team of Ken McBroom, Mike Tolbert and Will Whittington lead the first flight after shooting a 63 on Saturday. Three other teams are a shot back at 64. They’ll tee off on the seventh hole for the afternoon shotgun start, while the championship flight starts on the first six holes.

The second flight will tee off on the first hole at 8 a.m. Sunday with a three-way tie atop the leaderboard.

The teams of Chris Posey, J.R. Giramonti and Charlie Franklin; Buddy Saunier, Logan Pippin and Dustin Waits; and Chris Herron, Mike Brown and Tommy Schisler were all tied at 68.