EDGEFIELD, S.C. --- The sweltering heat wasn't what worried Robert Abernathy before Saturday's first round of the Perry Watson Memorial tournament.

Neither did the fact the field would be playing the ball "down" (as it lies in the fairway) for the first time in more than a decade at Pine Ridge Plantation.

It was his vertigo.

The 60-year-old golfer had only one episode of the dizziness that comes with the inner-ear condition, and shot 1-under-par 71.

Abernathy is tied for second place with Kenny Larry among the 50-over set, one shot behind Mike Jackson.

Eric Ledford, with 69, leads the regular division by one over defending champion Doug Weiss and by two over Jay Blackburn, a two-time Watson champion.

Ledford's sister, Christy, has had vertigo, so he appreciated what Abernathy did Saturday.

"That's awesome; it's amazing," Ledford said of Abernathy's round. "When my sister had it, she couldn't drive for more than 10 miles at a time."

Abernathy said his vertigo "is not as bad as it was. I'm getting rid of some of it."

He's had vertigo on-and-off for seven years, Abernathy said, but he'd gone nearly two years without an attack before it reappeared two months ago. It has played havoc with his golf game.

"You see the scores I've been shooting: 76 and 77," Abernathy said. "This (round) makes me feel good. I'm excited about the game again instead of being mad."

Because of the vertigo, he was hitting fat shots (behind the ball) and having trouble staying still over his putts.

"I'd get over a putt and look at the hole to get the line and then back to the ball and I'd get dizzy," he said.

That only happened once Saturday. It occurred on his 10th hole (No. 1 on the course) as he stood over a 4-foot birdie putt.

"I got dizzy over the ball and instead of backing away from it, I tried to hit it and I was falling backwards and I hit it too hard," said Abernathy, who hit it 11 feet past the hole and missed the comebacker, too.

He birdied two of the next three holes and didn't have any more vertigo problems.

Today, Abernathy will have to beat Jackson and Larry to earn his first Regions Cup victory. Jackson, 60, needs a win to tie the Regions Cup senior career victory mark of 13.

"I hope he doesn't do it this weekend, not when I've got a chance," Abernathy said.

"It would be a big relief," Jackson said of getting the 13th victory.

In the regular division, Ledford is seeking his third career victory.

"It's good to finally get a good opening round," Ledford said.

"I usually play good on Sunday. I'm usually the 76-66 kind of guy. We'll see how it goes tomorrow."

Ledford and Weiss will be paired today in the final group with Blackburn, a late entrant who can make some history of his own. He needs one more victory to tie the career victory record of nine in the regular division.