Birdies abound under ideal conditions at Frys.com Open
Published 7:01 pm Thursday, October 23, 2008
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The shootout is on in the desert.
Doug LaBelle II and Jeff Mallinger shot 7-under 63s on Thursday to share the first-round lead in what promises to be a flurry of birdies at the Frys.com Open.
“It’s fun to make a lot of birdies,” said LaBelle, who lives in north Phoenix, a 10-minute drive from the tournament. “We know we’re going to have to make some to have a chance to win.”
Richard Johnson, the 2007 Nationwide Tour earnings leader who has struggled in his first PGA Tour season, was one shot back at 64.
Aaron Oberholser was among six players to shoot 65s under ideal conditions — cloudless and temperatures in the mid-80s, on the 7,125-yard Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club in north Scottsdale.
Oberholser, winner of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am two years ago, is in his second tournament after recovering from two surgeries on his left wrist in a span nine months.
“I don’t know if this is going to give me great confidence,” he said, “but it’s definitely building in that direction.”
Chris Stroud, Mathias Gronberg, J.J. Henry, Marco Dawson and Todd Demsey also opened with 65s.
Defending champion Mike Weir shot a 66. Last year in the inaugural event, the Canadian star won his first tour title since February 2004, beating Australia’s Mark Hensby by a stroke.
The Frys event, with a first prize of $900,000, features players scrambling to move up on the rankings, many of them trying to secure a tour card for next season.
CASTELLO MASTERS: At Castellon, Spain, Soren Kjeldsen shot a 7-under 64 Thursday to hold a one-shot lead after the first round of the Castello Masters. Kjeldsen, who sits 34th in the Order of Merit, carded eight birdies in his round with the only blip a bogey at No. 17. Former U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera, England’s Richard Finch, Ignacio Garrido of Spain and Peter Hanson of Sweden all trailed Kjeldsen after 6-under rounds of 65. Sergio Garcia closed with three birdies to finish 5-under on his home course. Garcia’s father Victor is the pro at the Club de Campo del Mediterraneo.
