NORMAL - Jason Alexander and Jeff Bartel were thinking 64, 63, or maybe even 62, in Thursday's opening qualifying round for the Bloomington-Normal Two-Man Best Position Tournament at Ironwood Golf Course.

Think again, guys.

Alexander and longtime Two-Man partner Bartel, who was playing only his second round of the summer, birdied the final eight holes to complete a 13-under-par 59 and pace the field.

"After we birdied 13 and 14 I think we knew we could do it," Bartel said. "We were just feeding off each other and it kept on snowballing."

Six-time champions Elston and Todd Mitchell needed a torrid birdie-birdie-par-eagle-eagle finish for a 61 to share second place with the teams of Ryan Doubet-Nate Perry and Will Cullen-Alan Bardwell.

Rick Percy and Jeff Niepagen, the 1998 champions, were alone at 62 while Roger Nalewajka and Kai Kohlman posted a 63. Qualifying continues today and Saturday before teams are flighted for match play, which begins Sunday.

Alexander and Bartel couldn't have envisioned the fireworks ahead when they made the turn at 5-under 31. After parring No. 10, they didn't miss a birdie putt the rest of the way while consistently sticking it close.

"We had some success out here the last time in the qualifying round (a 58 in 2005), but that really didn't come into our head," Alexander said. "We didn't make anything longer than a 10-footer except for maybe one 15-footer."

Bartel and Alexander shared the work load.

"We were both contributing the whole way around," Bartel said. "If I didn't make it, then he made it."

"It was pretty fun," Alexander said. "It will be a nice two days until we play again. We won't have to worry about making the championship flight."

The Mitchells were 5-under after 13 holes before Todd, who is Elston's son, caught fire with his putter.

"We were pretty shaky early on," Elston Mitchell said. "It was looking like we were headed for the second flight with five holes to play."

Todd Mitchell sank a 14-footer for birdie on No. 14 to start the comeback. The Mitchells made a short try for birdie on No. 15 before parring No. 16. Todd Mitchell drained a 25-footer for eagle on the par-5 No. 17 before driving No. 18, a 313-yard, par-4. He went on to drain another 25-footer to finish a backside 30.

"It was a good, strong finish," Elston Mitchell said. "We didn't birdie 3 (par 5) which is criminal, and we didn't birdie 11 (another par 5). In all the years we've played, we couldn't have made more than two or three pars on the par 5s."

First-time partners Cullen, who will be a junior for the Illinois State golf team this fall, and Bardwell carded 11 birdies in their round, including four straight on Nos. 12-15.

"It wasn't anything special because of some of the holes we didn't birdie like 6 and 11," Cullen said. "We changed our order going into 8 and I started teeing off first. Putting first helped me a little bit and after that I was a little more comfortable."

Doubet, who was also teaming with Perry for the first time, chipped in from the fringe for an eagle to spark their round. They birdied six of seven holes in a stretch beginning on No. 11 but couldn't get up and down for birdie on No. 18.

"It was pretty close to what it should have been, but 18 was not good," Doubet said. "We wanted to get to 60."