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GREENSBORO -- In June, the sun doesn't set in Iceland. It's part of a summer of daylight in the island nation, a chance to pack a year's worth of golf into four or five months.

It's when Olafur Loftsson would play golf for hours and hours and hours -- once playing 63 holes in a single day.

"To be able to play 24/7 on a good day, when it's calm outside, why shouldn't you?" Loftsson said. "&ellipses; I've played a lot of rounds at nighttime in Iceland. The wind usually dies down and it's just pretty spectacular."

Loftsson, a rising senior at UNC-Charlotte and the 2009 NCAA Division III champion at Oglethorpe, made his PGA Tour debut Thursday at the Wyndham Championship, shooting a very respectable 2-under-par 68 at Sedgefield Country Club.

Not bad for the first player from Iceland to compete in a PGA event -- especially after a 6 on his first hole.

"Even though I made double-bogey, I felt a little bit relaxed," Loftsson said. "Now I can start playing some golf. Now I can do my thing."

After a couple of pars, Loftsson made birdies on three of his next four holes to make the turn in 1-under. His back nine was a steady eight pars and one birdie.

Loftsson won the 33rd Cardinal Amateur on Sunday, earning a sponsor's exemption to play the Wyndham.

He felt right at home among the star-studded field.

"It was a little bit nerve-racking on the first tee box," Loftsson said. "But after I got over that, I felt a lot more at ease. The guys here are so nice. I've been able to chat with a lot of these guys, and &ellipses; they've helped me out a lot."

Loftsson said golf is the second-most popular sport in Iceland behind soccer, and he was introduced to the game by his golf-playing parents when he was 12. He dreams of playing professionally, so he needed to play year-round. The best way to do that was find a college in the American South.

Now he's getting his first taste of the PGA Tour. He said he's never been to a pro tournament, even as a spectator.

"It's a little bit strange, being around these guys," Loftsson said. "But I'm not intimidated by being here. It's just a lot of fun. I'm going to enjoy these few days, enjoy this experience and try to learn as much as I can. Because I intend to be here in the future."

He's off to a good start.

Contact Jeff Mills at 373-7024 or jeff.mills@news-record.com