Jon Brown’s return to the Fort Dodge Amateur Friday was long overdue.

Brown, who was playing his first competitive round of golf since October back surgery, fired an even-par 71. He is one of five golfers tied for second, a shot back of open division leader Ryan Horner.

Second round play begins this morning at 7:30 a.m. at the Fort Dodge Country Club. The best 36 scorers – including ties – advance to the championship 18.

Leading the senior division is defending champion Joe Palmer of West Des?Moines, who fired an even-par round of 71. The top 16 in that bracket move into Sunday’s final round.

Horner – a native of Waukee – was the lone golfer to reach red figures, firing a 70 that included five birdies and 10 pars to off-set a pair of bogeys and a double bogey on No. 14.

The University of Northern Iowa golfer started his round with four straight pars before recording back-to-back 3s. He also had a strong start on the back-nine, carding birdies on his first three holes.

Brown is a 10-time winner of the Des Moines city golf tournament, including a three-shot victory last summer. However, he decided later in the year that he needed to undergo surgery.

The procedure was the same one that took Tiger Woods off the PGA Tour for an extended period of time.

“It just felt really good to be back out on the course,” said Brown, who previously played in the tourney in the late 1980s and early 1990s. “It wasn’t a real spectacular round, but I was happy with how I played.”

Brown, who is a two-time Iowa Golf Association Player of the Year, admitted that he has spent less time in the game recently due to “family outings.” The Fort Dodge Amateur came along at the best possible time.

“With the slate of tournaments I was always playing in before, I just needed to find a week off,” Brown said. “That week seemed to always be this tournament. But I’ve always enjoyed playing the course. Events are always run on a first-class level here.”

The Clive resident finished his round with two birdies, including on his opening hole, and 14 pars.

Pearson, a two-time defending tournament winner, is fresh off a junior campaign at the University of San Diego. He helped the Toreros to the NCAA regional meet.

On Friday, the Fort Dodge Senior High graduate recorded 18 consecutive pars.

“You can’t win a meet like this on the first day, but you sure can lose it,” Pearson said. “I made a lot of putts from inside five feet, but missed too many from outside 10.

“It was a good round, but I know there are shots I can make up moving forward.”

Along with Brown and Pearson, Dan Lensing, Tanner Randall and Chris Winkel all recorded rounds of even-par 71. Sitting two shots back of Horner at 72 are Fort Dodge Senior High graduate Austin Morrow, Myles Pfingsten, Ryan Minor, J.D. Anderson, Grant Smith, Brock Morris and Alex Shattuck.

Andrew Huseman – the son of Fort Dodge businessman Bill Huseman and grandson of Hall of Fame FDSH?athletic director and coach Dutch Huseman – is in a group of five that are 2-over, while Fort Dodge’s Lucas Peed is part of a pack at 3-over after 18 holes.

Bret Taylor opened with a 73 and is two shots off the pace of Palmer, while Ned Palmer and Thomas Lehmkuhl are tied for third after 74s.

The forecast calls for highs in the upper 70s with just a 20 percent chance of rain on Saturday.