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FORT WORTH (Texas), May 17: Bob Estes shot a five-under-par 65 to grab the first-round lead at the MasterCard Colonial on the par-70, 7,080-yard Colonial Country Club Thursday, one year after making a grip change that has improved his game.
Estes, who switched to a baseball grip in order to control his ball flight better at last year’s Colonial, has two wins, 10 top-10 finishes and made 24 of 26 cuts since the change.
The bogey-free 65 on Thursday was his lowest opening round this season and gave him a two-shot lead over a group of nine players, including 2001 British Open champion David Duval, 1996 US Open champion Steve Jones and US Ryder Cup member Scott Verplank.
Defending champion Sergio Garcia eagled his second hole and then bogeyed eight of the final 16 holes for a six-over 76.
In windy conditions Estes was in control of his entire game.
Estes birdied the first two holes and then the eighth to reach three-under. He also birdied the 17th and 18th holes to take an early lead that was not matched.
Estes hit 11 of 14 fairways and 14 greens in regulation, an improvement on his seasonal average, but it was his putting that pleased him the most.
Second-placed Jones, who has had a nagging rotator cuff injury, could have been leading at the end of the first day as he reached five-under, then bogeyed two of the final seven holes to drop back.
Meanwhile Duval, who started on the back nine, went out in four-under 31 before consecutive bogeys at holes three and four dropped him to two-under.
A birdie at the par-three eighth returned the British Open champion to three under.
First round scores (US unless stated):
65 — Bob Estes.
67 — Esteban Toledo (Mexico), Scott Verplank, Steve Jones, Bob Tway, Brandt Jobe, Frank Lickliter II, Joel Edwards, David Duval, Steve Lowery.
68 — Bob Burns, Vijay Singh (Fiji), Tom Watson, Per-Ulrik Johansson (Sweden), Peter Lonard (Australia), Steve Flesch, Joey Sindelar, Carl Paulson, Mark Brooks, Jeff Maggert, Corey Pavin, Billy Andrade, Skip Kendall.
Other international scores:
69 — K.J. Choi (South Korea), Jesper Parnevik (Sweden), Nick Price (Zimbabwe).
70 — Phil Tataurangi (New Zealand), Ian Leggatt (Canada), Stuart Appleby (Australia), Jose Coceres (Argentina).
71 — Craig Parry (Australia), Mike Weir (Canada).
72 — Brian Watts (Canada), Rod Pampling (Australia), David Frost (South Africa), Greg Chalmers (Australia), Shigeki Maruyama (Japan).
73 — Rory Sabbatini (South Africa), Fulton Allem (South Africa), Robert Allenby (Australia), Luke Donald (England).
74 — Steve Elkington (Australia), Kaname Yokoo (Japan), Mathew Goggin (Australia).
76 — Frank Nobilo (New Zealand), Craig Perks (New Zealand), Sergio Garcia (Spain), Geoff Ogilvy (Australia).
HEIDELBERG (Germany): Tiger Woods had to share the limelight but little conversation with joint leader Eduardo Romero, his playing partner 22 years his senior, at the Deutsche Bank Open on Friday.
After shooting a three-under-par first round 69, to trail Argentine Romero by two strokes, Woods said: “It was a lot of fun playing with Eduardo. I tried to hang on to his coat-tails and he just pulled me along!”
The world number one, however, could only share a joke with Romero as they made their way to each tee, because Romero then declined to talk until holing out.
Twelve months ago at the same event, Romero admitted he spent too much time talking to Woods as he shot a 77 on the final day alongside the seven-times major winner.—Reuters
