OHIO: Steve Stricker (pix) turned in a bogey-free, 7-under 63 to jump out to a commanding four-shot lead after the first round of the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship on Thursday in Akron, Ohio.
Stricker’s 63 served as the lowest first round in the history of the tournament. It also allowed him to secure the tournament’s largest lead after the completion of the first round.
This year’s US Ryder Cup captain hit 14 greens in regulation and made seven birdies on his way to the lead, while his competitors struggled with a challenging course at the season’s third major. Only seven of the 81 players in the field shot under par in the first round.
Stricker started on the back nine at Firestone Country Club and birdied five of his first nine holes. He holed out from a bunker on No. 12 and strung together three birdies in a row on Nos. 16, 17 and 18.
His good fortune continued as he stuck his approach shot on the par-4 third hole within a few feet, where he made birdie before wrapping up with a birdie on No. 8.
Stricker, who changed his putter on the eve of last month’s Senior PGA Championship, said he’s still been tinkering with a skill that was always the best part of his game throughout his career.
“I haven’t been putting like I’m accustomed to putting, so I’ve been really grinding on that a lot at home, changing grips and putters all over the place,” Stricker said. “I got a new grip on the putter this week, but we’ll see. I’m working at it. It hasn’t been great, but today was good.”
Ken Duke and Englishman Paul Broadhurst were tied for second after the opening round, each with a 3-under 67. Defending champion Jerry Kelly, Marco Dawson, Bob Estes and Gene Sauers shot 1-under 69s to tie for fourth.
Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez was part of a tie for eighth at even-par 70. German Bernhard Langer, who holds the tour record with 11 major titles, is 1 over.
Stricker, 54, is in search of his second Champions Tour victory of the season and his third career Champions major title, after he won both the Regions Tradition and the US Senior Open in 2019.
While standard Champions Tour events are three rounds long, the Senior Players and other majors last four rounds. – Reuters
