First-round notebook: Triton Financial Classic

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Jun. 5, 2009
By Dave Senko, PGA TOUR Staff

LAKEWAY, Texas -- Bernhard Langer's 7-under-par 65 gave the 51-year-old two-time Masters champion a one-stroke advantage over David Eger after the opening round. Other than a bogey at No. 11, Langer posted eight birdies during his trip around the 7,035-yard layout. He made consecutive birdies on Nos. 6-9 on his way to a 5-under-par 31 on the front nine. This is the first time he has played in this event.

This marks the fourth time this year that Langer has led or shared the first-round lead in a Champions Tour event in 10 starts. Here are the three previous times he has led or shared the lead in 2009 and the results.

Event First-round score Final result
Mitsubishi Electric Championship 64 (T1) 1st
Allianz Championship 64 (1) 3rd
Toshiba Classic 65 (T1) T9

• Mark O'Meara switch to a cross-handed putting style for the first time in his career paid dividends. O'Meara shot a 4-under-par 68 and is currently T4. O'Meara needed 26 putts during his round. He had ranked T47 on the Champions Tour in that category coming into the event.

Tom Kite had the best showing by an Austin-area resident, firing a 4-under-par 68 and is T4. Tom Jenkins finished with a 3-under-par 69 and is T11, while Ben Crenshaw carded a 1-over-par 73 and is T46.

Peter Jacobsen shot a 2-over-par 74 in his 2009 Champions Tour debut. He had been sidelined since undergoing left rotator cuff surgery in mid-January.

• Defending champion Denis Watson shot a 7-over-par 79 and is T76.

• Less than a week after winning the Principal Charity Classic in a three-man playoff, Mark McNulty shot a 3-under-par 69 and is T11.

• The group of Mark Wiebe, Morris Hatalsky and Mark James all made birdies on Nos. 9 and 18, two of the four par-3s on The Hills Country Club course.

Dana Quigley opened with a round in the 60s in his third consecutive event after failing to register one in his first five starts in 2009. Quigley joined Mark McNulty as the only two players in the 79-man field with bogey-free cards and they each had the fewest putts on Friday -- 23..

Larry Mize continued his strong play. Making his first start since finishing as a runner-up to Michael Allen at the Senior PGA Championship two weeks ago, Mize fashioned a 4-under-par 68. It marked the fifth straight tournament in which he had posted an opening round in the 60s and it was his 11th sub-par round in his last 13 starts.

• No surprise what was the most difficult hole on Friday. The par-4 fourth hole, which played to an average score of 4.405, took the honors as the hardest. In the previous six tournaments, No. 4 had been played as No. 9 and that hole annually ranked among the toughest on the Champions Tour.

Loren Roberts, Mark McNulty and John Morse led all players in driving accuracy, hitting 13 of 14 fairways. Mike Goodes was tops in greens in regulation with 17 of 18 (94.4%).

The field averaged 72.215 in Friday's opening round, the second lowest opening-round scoring average in the seven-year history of the tournament. Only last year's 72.143 average was better. A total of 17 players posted rounds in the 60s and 40 finished below par. A year ago, there were also 17 rounds in the 60s and 35 sub-par rounds.

• George Rogers, the winner of the 1980 Heisman Trophy, was the top player among the eight former Heisman winners competing in the Heisman Winners Fore Charity. Rogers shot an 83 and leads Tim Brown by One stroke and Ty Detmer by two.

Jerry Pate birdied all four par-5s on Friday.

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