Graham signed for nine birdies over his last 15 holes at the Capital venue to go into the second qualifying round two shots ahead of Blairgowrie clubmate Cormac Sharpe.
“It’s a great start,” said Graham of his effort on a day when his younger brother, Connor, also got himself into the top 10 with a 69. “I’ve played the course a couple of times now and I really enjoy it.
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Hide AdThe leader is playing in his first boys’ event of the season after testing himself in men’s tournaments.
“I’ve played a lot of men’s competitions and I’ve been playing some really good stuff without getting the results I wanted,” added Graham.
I’ve been playing well but have had one bad hole or one bad shot here or there. It was nice that it finally clicked altogether and it’s a great course to do it on.”
Sharpe fired eight birdies while Aboyne’s Daniel Aitkin celebrated his 18th birthday by posting 66 to sit third.
“It’s great to see Gregor playing so well,” said Sharpe of his clubmate. “It pushes you on because you know how well he can play.
You know you have to shoot a good score to beat him and that will be the same throughout the week.”
A total of 64 players will qualify for the match-play phase after today’s second stroke-play round.