Blake carded his best opening round of the season and leads by a stroke over Kirk Triplett at 65 and by two over Japan’s Shigeki Maruyama, the 2001 winner, Joel Edwards, Jerry Kelly, Brett Quigley and Kenneth Staton.
Defending champion Jeff Sluman, a twice winner of the event, shot a two-over-par 72.
He began on the back nine and turned in a pedestrian one-under 35, but then made five birdies on the front nine to take the lead.
Leading first round scores
64 Jay Don Blake
65 Kirk Triplett
66 Shigeki Maruyama (Japan), Joel Edwards, Jerry Kelly, Brett Quigley, Kenneth Staton
67 Mark Calcavecchia, Notah Begay III, Tommy Armour III, Kent Jones, Joey Sindelar, Billy Mayfair
68 Dennis Paulson, Billy Andrade, Patrick Sheehan, Willie Wood, Kelly Gibson, Michael Muehr, Ian Leggatt (Canada), Peter Jacobsen
LOCH LOMOND (Scotland): Ernie Els maintained his impressive British Open build-up with a four-under-par 67 in the Scottish Open second round on Friday, stretching his lead to four shots.
Two clear overnight after a blemish-free 64 in Thursday’s rain-disrupted conditions, Els mixed five birdies with a bogey to end another damp day at Loch Lomond on 11-under 131.
The British Open champion, among the late starters, reeled off three consecutive birdies from the par-three fifth to reach the turn in three-under 33.—Reuters