Salem—Taconic Golf Club assistant professional Josh Hillman could have given three legitimate excuses for playing poorly in the first round of yesterday’s 98^th Massachusetts Open.

Excuse No. 1: While most or all of the players in the field worked on their games last week, Hillman worked 65 hours in Taconic’s golf shop—giving lessons, booking tee times and otherwise letting his golf game stew.

Excuse No. 2: With practice rounds at Kernwood Country Club only available on Thursdays—typically one of Taconic’s busier days—Hillman opted not to take one.

Excuse No. 3: As he drove to the course for yesterday’s first round, he noticed that one tire on his car had been punctured and had begun to leak air.

But none of those three excuses suited Hillman, who birdied three of his first seven holes, shot a 1-over 71 and then returned to Kernwood Country Club’s parking lot to fix his now severely deflated tire while Pittsfield’s Matt Donovan looked on.

“There’s nothing like finishing your round and fixing a flat,” joked Hillman. “And of course Donovan’s watching me.”

Hillman, tied for 21^st, trails the co-leaders by five shots entering Tuesday’s 2^nd round. He tied for 14^th in this event last year and boasts a playing resume as impressive as anyone in the field. Still, his post in Taconic’s pro shop keeps him grounded.

“Whether I finish 1^st or 30^th, “I still got the men’s 3-day member guest coming up next week,” said Hillman, who is staying with a friend in his 26^th floor apartment in the Prudential Building overlooking Charles River this week.

Skyline’s Mike Slosek, a salesman at Stanley’s Lumber, can relate with Hillman’s more-work-than-play lifestyle.

“That’s all I do, is work and practice after work,” said Slosek, who overcame a double bogey on his first hole, No. 10, and matched Hillman’s 1-over 71.

On his way to the 11^th tee, Slosek gave himself a pep talk.

“I said, ‘You can’t get frustrated. This is where you want to be.’”

He rebounded with a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 12, birdied his first hole on the front nine then offset bogeys on Nos. 2 and 7 with a closing birdie.

“I get excited when I get these kind of opportunities,” said Slosek, who missed the cut last year. “I make better decisions in the heat of things than in a meaningless round.”

Slosek has been in this position before. Twice last year, Slosek followed an opening round 70 with 75. One setback, ironically, came at the Mass. Open.

“That’s the main thing I’m trying to prevent,” he said.

Lee’s Jim Salinetti, Hillman’s teammate when they went to URI, ho-hummed his way around the golf course with eight straight pars to begin his round until he arrived at No. 18, his 9^th hole of the day.

His 2-iron tee shot on the short par-four bounded off of a cart path into high grass. From there, he took six shots from inside 100 yards and made triple bogey.

“And then I started playing really well,” said Salinetti, who birdied his next hole and rallied to shoot 1-under on his final nine holes and 2-over 72 overall. “That kind of got me back on track. It could have gotten ugly.”

Pittsfield’s Matt Donovan stared eye-to-eye with ugly during an opening round of 6-over 76 that included a string of five consecutive bogeys beginning at No. 2.

“That’s probably the most consecutive bogeys I’ve had since I was 12,” said Donovan, half-kidding.

Donovan went left off the tee on No. 2, right on No. 3, three-putted No. 4, went right again on No. 5 then finally hit a fairway before three-putting from below the hole for bogey on No. 6

“That’s just kind of insult to injury when you’re hitting it bad and not putting it well,” said Donovan, who had not shot higher than 70 in first round of the last two Mass. Opens.

“But I’m not out of it,” he said. “I’m just going to take it the other way [Tuesday].”

Two-time Berkshire County Men’s Player of the Year Donnie Troy also shot a 6-over 76, his 5^th competitive round in six days following a 57^th place finish (74-78-75-72) in the Monroe Invitational on Saturday.

Troy started with a birdie on No. 1 but bogeyed five of the next six holes and salvaged scrambling pars on his final three holes.

“I was pull-hooking everything. It was ridiculous” said Troy, who only hit two of 14 fairways and is tied for 92^nd. “I’m not happy. A bad day shouldn’t be that high.”

The top 40 finishers and ties, or anyone within seven shots of the lead, advance to Wednesday’s final round.