Kiwi Iles shares lead in Nationwide Tour event

New Zealand’s Bradley Iles birdied his final four holes on his way to a first-round score of five-under-par 66 which gave him a share of the first-day lead at the US Nationwide Tour's Stadion Athens Classic at the University of Georgia golf course.
Shooting his lowest round of the season so far, Iles is joined at the top by a pair of rookies, Mark Anderson of South Carolina and leading money-winner Bobby Gates.
Iles was the first to post a 66 and despite hitting only 12 of 18 greens, the 26-year old Kiwi was saved by his work on the greens.
“I just holed everything,” he said. “I must have holed 200 feet of putts today. I hit a few good shots but that was probably the best I could play. That was probably the best score I could have shot today. That shows how strong the course is for me, I holed everything and shot 5-under.”
Tied in fourth place is Aussie Stephen Leany along with Martin Piller, Daniel Summerhays, rookie James Hahn, Arjun Atwal and Michael Putnam.
After a solid start to the season with a T19 finish at the season-opening Australasian/Nationwide Tour co-sanctioned Michael Hill New Zealand Open followed a week later where he finished T21 at the Moonah Classic, Iles missed the next four cuts on the Nationwide Tour.
Last week however he finished T24 at the South Georgia Classic where he opened with a first round 67 and looks to be finding form again.
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Leaderboard: Round 1
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A total of eight players are knotted at 3-under 68, including Jason Kokrak, a sponsor's invite a week ago at the South Georgia Classic in Valdosta, where he finished T13. Also in the group at 68 is Harris English, a junior on the current Georgia golf squad.
The UGA course, designed in the late 1960's by famed architect Robert Trent Jones and renovated in 2006 by PGA TOUR member Davis Love III, has quickly gained a great deal of respect by the Nationwide Tour members who are seeing the par-71 layout for the first time.
"It's hard," Gates offered of the tournament's new site. "The greens are going to be really fast and the pins are very dicey. If you miss the green in the wrong spot, you're not going to have 10 feet for par. You have to control your ball, especially your second shots into the greens."
Gates, winner of the season-opening Michael Hill New Zealand Open, did a better job with his irons and hit 14 greens in regulation. While he didn't make every putt he looked at, he did give his efforts a thumbs up, finally.
"I hit the ball beautifully. It was good and could have been really good," said the Florida-born, transplanted Texan. "I finally saw some putts lip-in, which is very positive. I'm excited about that because the last month or so they've been going the other way. Today it was nice to see a few take a peek and go in."
Anderson, from Beaufort, South Carolina, hit 16 greens and moved into a first-place tie for the first time in his young pro career.
"I drove it well. I really kept the ball in play," said Anderson, who is No. 25 on the money list after making five cuts in his six previous starts this year. "The greens are so tough to read. I think there's a lot of local knowledge involved with putting on these things and knowing where to hit it. They're a good speed. I think if they get them too fast they'd be out of control."