Rocco Mediate shoots 62 to lead Senior PGA; John Daly makes quintuple bogey on way to 75
Bernhard Langer came to southwest Michigan needing only the Senior PGA to become the first to complete a career senior Grand Slam; Colin Montgomerie was shooting to be just the ninth player since 1900 at any level of professional golf to win the same major three times in a row; and there was newly turned senior John Daly, the week’s biggest draw.
Far down the list of likely headliners was Rocco Mediate, whose 2016 playing resume was largely mediocre. He had no top-20s in any individual event and was 0-for-22 trying to break 70.
But on Thursday, Mediate was nothing short of brilliant. He birdied four of his first five holes, later added an eagle as he went 8 under through 11 holes, and finished with a 9-under 62 that tied the 18-hole scoring record in the Senior PGA and at Harbor Shores. Mediate, however, holds just a one-stroke lead over Gene Sauers.
Mike Goodes made five birdies in a run of six holes starting at the fifth to shoot 64 and trail by two, and sharing fourth place at 6-under-65 were Kenny Perry, Kirk Triplett and John Dalcorobbo of Carmel, Ind., the best of four club professionals in the top 10.
“I don’t know the last time I shot in the 60s,” said Mediate. “It was one of those days. I just drove it really well. I hit a lot of solid irons … so I had a lot of short putts for birdie. I didn’t really make a long one.”
Mediate was as surprised as anyone by a round in which he missed one fairway, one-putted 12 times, chipped in for eagle and got up and down all five times he missed a green.
“I know it’s been coming,” he said, “but like this was kind of insane. But even if I would have shot 71 or 72 hitting it as good as I hit it today, as solid as I hit it today, I’m good with that because that’s what I need to have any type of confidence. You have to earn the confidence, though.”
One great round won’t change Mediate’s expectations for what might follow in the Senior PGA’s third visit to Harbor Shores.
“You just know that if you stay with it and keep working, regardless of what happens the next three days, I know the ball’s off the middle of the clubface again and it should stay there. There’s no reason for it to change. And if I don’t trust it, it’s going to go crooked. Simple as that. It’s just a matter of trust.”
Sauers played the second nine in 5-under30, a score boosted by birdie chip-ins at both par 5s.
“That was fun,” said Sauers, who has his two best finishes of the year, T-12, in each of his last two starts.
“It boosts your confidence up a little bit,” Sauers said. “I’ve hit the ball really solid in the last month. Let’s hope it keeps continuing.”
His good run coincides with a change to a cross-handed putting grip he made three weeks ago.
“That’s a night-and-day difference,” he said. “I wish I would have done it 10 years ago. I’ve always said, ‘If I could just putt like these guys out here, I’ll be in contention every week.’ So maybe I’m starting something.”
Perry, who shot 62 in the final round of the 2012 Senior PGA at Harbor Shores, had just one bogey on a card in which he had five birdies and an eagle in his first 12 holes.
“I think there’s going to be a lot of good scores out there,” said Perry. “It’s just a good start.”
Dalcorobbo won last year’s PGA Senior Professional Championship, where the top 35 finishers earn berths in the next Senior PGA. He finished Thursday’s round with a flourish, making birdies at Nos. 13, 14 and 16, then holing a 9-iron from 147 yards for an eagle 2 at the 18th.
“I hit a tremendous shot on 18 and a lot of that is luck,” said Dalcorobbo, an assistant professional at Brickyard Crossing Golf Course in Speedway, Ind., “but I hit some good shots during the day and I’m really happy about that.
“(At 18) with the wind direction and the lie, I thought that 9-iron was the play. I was just happy it was going to get on that level where the pin was so I can maybe find a way to two-putt it and just not lose any shots. And then it goes in. So, nice end to a good start for the first day of the tournament.”
Daly, who turned 50 less than a month ago, had six birdies, but his round of 4-over 75 was marred at the par-4 16th, where he hit two balls into a water hazard on his way to making 9. Daly had three penalty strokes in all, including one at the par-5 ninth, his last hole of the day.
Colin Montgomerie, Paul Broadhurst and Barry Lane are all on the 67 mark and tied 10th. Ian Woosnam had a 70
SCOREBOARD
Par 71. Yardage 6852
Labels: Pro seniors
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Friday, May 27, 2016
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