RIVER HILLS, Wisc. — St. Joseph golfers Brian Haskell and Brad Nurski finished in the top 25 after Saturday’s first round of the U.S. Mid-Amateur.

Played on two separate courses, Haskell fired a 1-under 69 at Milwaukee Country Club and will start today’s second round tied for seventh with three other golfers. Nurski’s even-par 70 at Brown Deer Park has him in a 12-way tie for 11th.

The top 64 after two rounds of stroke play advance to single-elimination match play.

Two-time champion Tim Jackson shot a 5-under 65 at Milwaukee Country Club to take a one-stroke lead. But along with Skip Berkmeyer of St. Louis (3-under, BDP) and Ted Moloney of Clayton (2-over, MCC), Missouri has four players in the top fourth of the 264-player field.

“I think Missouri’s showing pretty well,” said Nurski, playing in the event for the first time. “We should hopefully get two or three to match play and see what happens.”

Haskell holed a 2 1/2-foot birdie putt on the par-3 fourth to get his round started. After a three-putt bogey from 12 feet on the first hole, Haskell scrambled for back-to-back pars before arriving at the tee box, 194 yards from the hole.

Haskell chose a 5-iron before caddy and fellow St. Joseph golfer Matt Thrasher advised him to take out the 6-iron. Haskell’s tee shot bounced about six feet short of the hole and rolled up closer to set up the short birdie putt.

“Glad I had my caddie with me on that shot,” Haskell said. “He’s been caddying for me in a quite a few qualifiers. I told him not to be afraid to pull me off of a shot if you think I need to change something.

“Kind of settled the nerves and played pretty solid from then on in.”

Haskell finished the front side at even-par, then closed with eight pars and a birdie at the 16th to finish in red numbers and shot better than Nurski.

Playing in the tournament open to amateurs 25 years or older for the first time, Nurski made the turn at 2-under with consecutive birdies at Nos. 8 and 9 — both par 4s. But back-to-back bogeys at 15 and 16 dropped his round back to even.

That stretch included a six at one of Brown Deer Park’s two par 5s, the long-distance holes Nurski typically thrives on.

“I just hit a bad tee ball, hit a good layup shot, then hit a bad third shot and a bad chip,” Nurski said of his play at the 15th. “I played pretty bad today, but not disappointed with the way it turned out. I putted and chipped pretty well, just like I have been in practice. That’s what saved me today was my putting and chipping.”

Haskell previously played in the event in 2005 and sat in fourth place after a first-round 68. But a second round 84 put him in a playoff, and he lost out on a spot in the match play field.

“I hope I don’t see those results again,” Haskell said.

The 49-year-old Jackson, the 1994 and 2001 winner from Germantown, Tenn., had seven birdies and two bogeys.

“I expect to compete, but you don’t expect to shoot 65 on a USGA setup,” Jackson said. “It’s more gratifying when you’re older to play so well. I was pretty steady, and a bit surprised.”

Scott Fawcett, 35, of Dallas shot a 66, also at Milwaukee Country Club. Randy Haag of Burlingame, Calif., opened with a 67 at MCC. Tim Mickelson of San Diego, the younger brother of tour star Phil Mickelson, shot a 69 at Brown Deer.