The new Mallard Cove golf course didn’t yield its secrets the first time it hosted the Lake Charles City Championship in 2022.

Maybe Year 2 will be different when the tournament tees off today.

“I tried to set up the course that, especially on the first and last day, you can make a few birdies,” Mallard Golf Club’s professional Johnathan Jester said. “We will see.

“They are a little more accustomed to the course than they were last year. We try to make the course fair. It is not a fun tournament when you make it too fun or too easy. It is still challenging.”

There were two sub-par rounds last year when the city championship was played in September and both were carded by defending champion Hank Shaheen. He won by three strokes over 2017 champ Gage Primeaux after rounds of 75, 69 and 69. Primeaux had three even-par rounds of 72.

After a couple of weeks of super hot and dry weather, some rain started to hit the ground in the area the last couple of days, but Jester said he doesn’t expect it to affect the 7,181-yard, par-72 course.

“The course is in great shape,” Jester said. “The greens are rolling good, and the fairways were really good.

“We are getting a lot of good compliments on the course. We are getting a little bit of rain (Thursday afternoon) as we speak right now, but this course takes rain very well. I am sure that it is not going to hurt us too bad.”

The course starts with a tough 450-yard par-4. Other key holes will be the 12th, a lengthy 470-yard par-4 and No. 15, a difficult par-3.

“If we really wanted to be mean, and we weren’t this year, we could put the pin in the back right-hand corner and it doesn’t even look like it is on the green from the tee,” Jester said. “It is a very well-designed par-3 by Jeff Blume, our architect. He designed it after one of the holes he played in Scotland.

“No. 12 is always a real tough hole. It is just a real long beast of a hole.”

Other defending champions expected in the championship flight are Neithan Allen (2013, ’25, ’18), Jason Horn (2009) and Blake DeReese (2007).

Friday tee times

Championship Flight

2 p.m. — Alex Augustine, Landon Beier, Ian James.

2:10 p.m. — Jaxson Caldwell, Kye Hanks, Zachary Robertson, George Trappey.

2:20 p.m. — Neithan Allen, Chris Gentry, Byron Martin, Cody Vincent.

2:30 p.m. — Gage Primeaux, Clint Stewart, John Morrissey, Thad Gaspard.

2:40 p.m. — Hank Shaheen, Blake Dereese, Channing Kile, Matt Nicholas.