BINGHAMTON (N.Y.) — Joe Durant, who had the lowest score of 22 rounds in Dick’s Sporting Goods Open, took a three-stroke advantage on Day 1 of PGA Tour Champions’ event at En-Joie Golf Course.
Nine birdies and one bogey gave the 59-year old a very impressive 64. Ernie Els, Jason Schultz, and others tied for second place with 5-under-par 67s.
Round 1 was played without interruption. Time will tell if Round 2 is played in rainy conditions. The second two-tee starts at 7:09 am, and the top three players will be heading off on No. The first round will begin at 9:15.
Darren Clarke (68), Vijay Singh (68), Miguel Angel Jimenez (68), and Paul Broadhurst (69) are all contenders, along with defending champion Padraig harrington.
Durant, who has won four times since joining the senior tour of golf in 2014, finished fourth in the American Family Insurance Championship, which took place last weekend (68-65-72). His lowest Dick’s Open round was a 65, in Round 3 at the 2018 event. He finished T-8. His best finish in 2016 was a 4th place.
He said, “I believe the putter certainly cooperated today.” “I didn’t drive it very well. This is a difficult driving course. Fairways are narrow, and if you peel them a bit in one direction or another you may miss some fairways.
“But I made some great recovery shots after the first cuts, and other things. We had ball-in hand, which was to protect us from the weather. So that made it easier to score. I played well. “I just played well. I scored well. I was patient and made many birdies.”
What can you see?
You know what? “I’m trying to revive my golf game at the moment. The first half of this season has been a struggle for me. I played well at Madison two weeks back. I am starting to see signs of life but still have much to do. “I’m trying to just put one foot in the front right now. Just see some good scores, and see what happens.”
Durant was bothered by a recent knee injury. He had been 6 under par without a bogey after 10 holes. However, he dropped a shot on the 11 th, but birdied three of his final four.
Els plays his third Dick’s Open. The 68 he shot on Friday was his fifth in seven rounds of the DSGO. Last year, he finished runner-up with a 73 in both 2021 and T-15.
En-Joie is a traditional golf course, he says. “They haven’t made many changes here. You know, with technology, we play the game the same way as we did in the 1990s. It’s a fun, nice golf course.
“You can run as I said, but there are some sneaky holes. You have to move the ball from left to right and right to left. I’ve always liked it that I can move the ball both directions. “I’ve got to warm up the putter and hopefully we’ll do better than last year.”
Schultz is a 50 year old playing in his third PGA Tour Champions tournament. He shared ninth place at the Principal Charily Classic earlier this month. He shot 34 on the back, and then four birdies in the front. This included a sweep of par-5 holes 3, 5, 8 and 9.
He said: “I started driving better and was able get into positions where I could reach some of the par-5s. I was also able to change positions quickly off the tee, to swing the round.
What about the weekend? He said, “Just be aggressive and make the most of my opportunities when they come up. Make as many birdies that you can.”
Brett Quigley, despite his three back-nine mistakes, is in a 10-way group at 68. He played the 10 th without a single bogey.
He said, “They did the correct thing by moving up the tee time today.” “It looked like it would sock there for a while.” We were lucky that it went around us, or broke up. We’re all watching that all weekend long, hoping to make all the rounds.”
