Oliver Betschart made a solid start to the Junior Orange Bowl International Championship at the Biltmore Golf Course in Coral Gables, Florida, on Friday.

The 16-year-old amateur carded an impressive two-under 69 in the opening round, which included three birdies and a solitary bogey.

“It was a solid first round,” Betschart told The Royal Gazette.

“The conditions were manageable. There was a bit of wind but nothing like the gusts I’m used to back home in Bermuda.”

One of the Bermudian teenager’s birdies arrived on the course’s most daunting hole.

“One of the highlights was making birdie on the toughest hole, the 490-yard, par-4 17th, which was playing into the wind today,” Betschart said.

“I hit a driver and then a 6-iron to ten feet and drained the putt. The greens are rolling beautifully, which really helped my confidence.”

Betschart will start the second round on Saturday tied for eighth, three shots back of leader Samuel Gonzalez, who holds a one-shot advantage over the field.

“I’ve got an early start so I’m looking forward to keeping the momentum going,” he said.

The promising player arrived in Florida in solid form after recently retaining his Gosling’s Moongate Tour Championship title and winning the Fecchio Cup for the first time last month.