NATCHEZ — What an emotional ride it has been for Lou Hart lately. She recently qualified for the U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur Championship and a week ago last Friday was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.

Then on Saturday, Lou and husband Alan Hart of Meridian teamed up to shoot a 7-under-par 65 to take a share of the lead in the championship flight of the 2007 Guys and Dolls Scramble at the Beau Pré Country Club.

“We were lucky to shoot what we shot,” Hart said. “We made a couple of field goals – a couple of real long putts. We milked it for all it’s worth. We had six birdies and an eagle on No. 8.”

Seven years ago, Pam Posey did the impossible by upsetting Cissye Gallagher in a playoff to win the Mississippi Women’s State Amateur Championship.

“I have fond memories of this course,” Posey said.

She may end up having more fond memories by the end of the tournament this afternoon. On Saturday, she and her husband Ronnie Posey, also from Meridian, also shot a 7-under 65 to share the first-round lead with the Harts.

“It was really hot. We tried to stay focused, but it’s hard sometimes with it being so hot,” Pam Posey said. “We had a good time. Most of the holes were pretty good. We didn’t get in any trouble. Ronnie made some good putts. The longest putt we made was on 18.”

Pam Posey helped the team’s cause by chipping in for birdie on No. 1 from 130 yards out.

“The average putt was about eight or nine feet. The course is in great shape,” Ronnie Posey said. “We missed some putts we should’ve made. It’s just a matter of reading them. There are some tricky breaks on these holes. We really enjoyed our playing partners, Tommy (Geoghegan) and Ashley (Magee).”

Just one shot behind the co-leading teams is the team of Glenn and Cathy Roscoe from Calhoun, La., who shot a solid 6-under-par 66.

“We hit a lot of greens in regulation, so we didn’t have to scramble for par too much,” Glenn Roscoe said. “We only had one three-putt and that was for bogey on No. 11. Lou’s a good player.”

The team of Bill Lambert and Beverly Knapp are four shots back of the co-leaders with a 3-under 69. However, that probably won’t be good enough of a score for them today unless the teams ahead of them shoot closer to par in the final round, which has a 9 a.m. shotgun start.

The team of Robert and Kathleen Garrison took the lead in the first flight with a 75, one shot ahead of three teams — Keith and Sharon Thompson; Collins and Peggy Armand; and W.E. Risher and Priss Bryant.