The rookies and the (relatively) young guys generally generate the most buzz on the PGA Tour Champions. It makes sense.
The newbies often are still competitive on the PGA Tour. They’re usually in prime playing shape. And it’s just exciting when a Steve Stricker (12-time winner on the PGA Tour) or a Retief Goosen (two-time U.S. Open champ) join the senior circuit.
But many of the veterans on the Champions Tour can still play. Patrons at Omni Tucson National Resort were reminded of that fact during the first round of the Cologuard Classic on Friday.
Five of the six players who are tied for second or better entering Saturday’s Round 2 are 55 or older. They include first-round leader Kenny Perry, 58, who shot an 8-under 65; and Mark O’Meara, 62, who’s one of five golfers tied at 7-under 66.
O’Meara caught a hot streak on the front nine Friday, birdieing eight consecutive holes, Nos. 2-9. He became the fifth Champions Tour player to make eight straight birdies in a round and the first since Joe Ozaki in 2006.
When informed of O’Meara’s feat, Stricker — the defending champion and the lone player in the top six who’s under 55 — asked the natural follow-up question: How old is he?
Upon learning that O’Meara is 62, Stricker could only marvel at the two-time major winner’s accomplishment.
“That’s incredible,” Stricker said after completing his 7-under 66. “It shows you the type of players that are still out here and capable of playing well any given day. It’s cool to see.”
O’Meara used that same descriptor — “cool” — upon being told he had tied the Champions Tour record for consecutive birdies. But if it was possible to be less than satisfied with a 66, well, that was O’Meara on Friday.
“Anytime you shoot 7 under, I guess you can’t be too disappointed,” O’Meara said. “But certainly when you’re 8 under after nine holes, you would like to do a little better.”
Steve Stricker, a 12-time winner on the PGA Tour, had a bogey-free round of 66, putting him in a tie for second place. “solid.” putts on No. 18 during Friday’s competition at the 2019 Cologuard Classic PGA Champions Tour event at Omni Tucson National Golf Resort, 2727 W. Club Dr., Feb. 28, 2019, in Tucson, Ariz. Stroke play continues through Sunday.
After making all those birdies, O’Meara had chances on the back nine. None of them fell, giving him eight straight pars heading to the tee box on No. 18.
O’Meara pulled his drive, a no-no on the finishing hole at Omni Tucson National. The ball rolled into the left water hazard, forcing O’Meara to scramble to try to make par.
O’Meara hit an excellent recovery shot, a 4-iron about 15 feet below the hole. He thought his par putt was going to drop, but it stopped about two inches short of the cup. The bogey at 18 was the lone blemish on his scorecard.
O’Meara has only two career victories on the Champions Tour, both coming in 2010. He has had only one top-three finish since 2015, and he hasn’t played particularly well in this event. His best finish in the previous three tournaments: a tie for 54th.
So how did O’Meara prepare for the 2019 Cologuard Classic?
“My preparation for this week was riding my snowmobile on Saturday in Park City,” he said with a smile. “I rode my sled on Monday up in the backcountry, and I never hit a ball last week.”
O’Meara said he often plays better when he goes snowmobiling or fly fishing before a tournament, as opposed to grinding away on the range. After his round Friday, it’s hard to argue with that strategy.
“It’s kind of neat … at 62 and still competing,” said O’Meara, the second-oldest player in the field behind Tom Kite, who’s 69. “To make eight birdies in a row, any day you do that that’s a good day.”
Waterfowl scatter as Jerry Smith and his caddie walk the No. 18 fairway. Smith finished the first round at 1 under.
during Friday’s competition at the 2019 Cologuard Classic PGA Champions Tour event at Omni Tucson National Golf Resort, 2727 W. Club Dr., Feb. 28, 2019, in Tucson, Ariz. Stroke play continues through Sunday.
Perry put together a streak of his own. Perry, who started on the 10th hole, birdied Nos. 11-13. On the par-5 17th, Perry rolled in a 20-foot putt from just off the green for eagle.
Perry made six birdies in all and no bogeys — a sign that he has fully recovered from the shoulder surgery that shelved him for the early part of 2018.
Perry underwent the procedure in late 2017 and didn’t make his ’18 Champions Tour debut until late April. He didn’t hit a ball for about six months. When he first started practicing again, the results weren’t great.
“Oh my word. It was horrible,” said Perry, who has 10 career wins on the Champions Tour. “I (normally) hit a hook. I was hitting a 40-yard slice. It was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.
“It was a challenge. I thought, ‘Well, this is it. I’m done. I’m going to retire.’”
Perry missed competing, though, and he worked with instructor Matt Killen to regain his form. It took about two months for Perry to start feeling like himself again.
He won the 3M Championship and qualified for the Charles Schwab Cup playoffs despite missing a good chunk of the season.
Perry has played in four PGA Tour events this year without making a cut. But “it’s all good,” he said. “Heck, 58 years old, let’s be realistic about this deal. It was a good day today.”
Stricker described his round as “solid.” He birdied all five par-5s and didn’t make a bogey. He had about an 18-foot putt for birdie on the par-4 18th but hit it a little too hard, settling for par and a tie for second. Stricker wasn’t unhappy with that outcome on a hole that has vexed him and countless others.
“It’s a hard tee ball, and you’ve got to get it in the fairway,” Stricker said. “I don’t care if I’m hitting 3-iron into the green, just get it in the fairway and get it up (there). You try and make a four there and move on. I was able to do that today.”
Chip shots
- The other players who shot 66 Friday were Tucson product Willie Wood, Jeff Maggert and Miguel Angel Jimenez.
- Former Arizona Wildcat David Berganio Jr. shot a 2-under 71 in his Champions Tour debut. He’s tied for 23rd. Another ex-UA star, Robert Gamez, shot an even-par 73. He’s tied for 46th.
- MLB Hall of Famer John Smoltz, playing on a sponsor exemption, also shot an even-par round. “I’ve learned to manage the game,” Smoltz said. “I putted extremely well. I put myself in situations to get defensive, and once you get defensive, it’s just not a fun game to play. I’m getting closer and closer to feeling comfortable, and closer to trusting my swing.”
- The 18th hole wasn’t as tough as usual Friday, playing to a 4.115 average. It was the hardest closing hole on the Champions Tour last year at 4.452 and the sixth-most difficult hole overall.
