Mize holds two-shot lead at Boeing Classic

CBSSports.com wire reports

SNOQUALMIE, Washington. -- Larry Mize birdied the par-5 18th hole for a 5-under 67 and a two-stroke lead over Fred Couples and four others Friday after the first round of the Champions Tour's Boeing Classic.
The 56-year-old Mize had a bogey-free round at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. The 1987 Masters champion won the 2010 Montreal Championship for his lone title on the 50-and-over tour.

''I am pleasantly surprised,'' Mize said. ''I've been working hard to get things turned around. I was optimistic I could have a good week.''
Couples, trying to win his hometown event for the first time, was tied for second at 69 with Billy Andrade, Carlos Franco, Jeff Freeman and Chien Soon Lu.
Mize hasn't had a top-10 finish in more than two years. He said ''a little bit of everything'' has been holding him back.
''More ball-striking than anything,'' he said. ''I guess you could say I've gotten my swing out of whack and I've just been having a hard time getting it back going again.''
Couples, from Seattle, played in the featured group with Bernhard Langer and Jeff Maggert, coming off his third victory of the season two weeks ago in Alberta. Couples, who shot a 59 Wednesday in a warmup round at the nearby Broadmoor Country Club, birdied Nos. 10, 11 and 15 and closed with three straight pars.
''I think the birdies on 10 and 11 kept the round where I got under and stayed there,'' Couples said. ''The greens were beautiful, rock hard, which everyone kind of likes. Larry Mize had a phenomenal round. You can tell because 15th-18th place is 1 under. That's a long cry from 67. A 69 here before was a really nice score.''
The field average of 73.35 was the second highest for any round in the 11-year history of the event.
Couples used the same putter he had for his 59. He said it was a club that had been sitting around at a friend's house.
''I've been known to leave clubs around,'' he said. ''I left that one there. I saw it and we went out and played. I left mine (old one) in the room. I didn't think I could give up on it after shooting a 59. It'll be in my bag (this weekend).''
Langer shot a 70, and Maggert had a 72.
Defending champion Scott Dunlap opened with a 74. 
 SCOREBOARD

1	Larry Mize	67	2:05 pm	-	-5	F	-5	67
T2	Carlos Franco	69	2:05 pm	-	-3	F	-3	69
T2	Billy Andrade	69	2:05 pm	-	-3	F	-3	69
T2	Fred Couples	69	1:55 pm	-	-3	F	-3	69
T2	Jeff Freeman	69	1:55 pm	-	-3	F	-3	69
T2	Chien-Soon Lu	69	1:55 pm	-	-3	F	-3	69
T7	Corey Pavin	70	1:45 pm	-	-2	F	-2	70
T7	Lee Janzen	70	1:45 pm	-	-2	F	-2	70
T7	Woody Austin	70	1:45 pm	-	-2	F	-2	70
T7	Michael Allen	70	1:35 pm	-	-2	F	-2	70
T11	Mike Goodes	71	1:35 pm	-	-1	F	-1	71
T11	Brad Bryant	71	1:35 pm	-	-1	F	-1	71
T11	Guy Boros	71	1:25 pm	-	-1	F	-1	71
T11	Stephen Ames	71	1:25 pm	-	-1	F	-1	71
T11	Bob Gilder	71	1:25 pm	-	-1	F	-1	71
T11	Scott Hoch	71	1:15 pm	-	-1	F	-1	71
T11	Marco Dawson	71	1:15 pm	-	-1	F	-1	71
T11	Craig Stadler	71	1:15 pm	-	-1	F	-1	71
T11	Bernhard Langer	71	1:05 pm	-	-1	F	-1	71
T11	John Cook	71	1:05 pm	-	-1	F	-1	71
T11	Lance Ten Broeck	71	1:05 pm	-	-1	F	-1	71
T22	Rod Spittle	72	12:55 pm	-	E	F	E	72
T22	Jesper Parnevik	72	12:55 pm	-	E	F	E	72
T22	Tom Purtzer	72	12:55 pm	-	E	F	E	72
T22	Roger Chapman	72	12:45 pm	-	E	F	E	72
T22	Paul Goydos	72	12:45 pm	-	E	F	E	72
T22	Loren Roberts	72	12:45 pm	-	E	F	E	72
T22	Olin Browne	72	12:35 pm	-	E	F	E	72
T22	Jeff Sluman	72	12:35 pm	-	E	F	E	72
T22	Fran Quinn	72	12:35 pm	-	E	F	E	72
T31	Kevin Sutherland	73	12:25 pm	-	+1	F	+1	73
T31	Gene Sauers	73	12:25 pm	-	+1	F	+1	73
T31	Joel Edwards	73	12:25 pm	-	+1	F	+1	73
T31	Steve Lowery	73	12:15 pm	-	+1	F	+1	73
T31	Russ Cochran	73	12:15 pm	-	+1	F	+1	73
T31	Jay Don Blake	73	12:05 pm	-	+1	F	+1	73
T31	Mark Calcavecchia	73	12:15 pm	-	+1	F	+1	73
T31	Tom Kite	73	12:05 pm	-	+1	F	+1	73
T31	Mark O'Meara	73	12:05 pm	-	+1	F	+1	73
T31	David Frost	73	12:05 pm	-	+1	F	+1	73
T31	Jeff Coston	73	12:05 pm	-	+1	F	+1	73
T31	Jeff Hart	73	12:05 pm	-	+1	F	+1	73
T31	Skip Kendall	73	12:15 pm	-	+1	F	+1	73
T31	Frank Esposito	73	12:15 pm	-	+1	F	+1	73
T45	Mark Brooks	74	12:15 pm	-	+2	F	+2	74
T45	John Inman	74	12:25 pm	-	+2	F	+2	74
T45	Steve Jones	74	12:25 pm	-	+2	F	+2	74
T45	Hal Sutton	74	12:25 pm	-	+2	F	+2	74
T45	Bob Tway	74	12:35 pm	-	+2	F	+2	74
T45	Tommy Armour III	74	12:35 pm	-	+2	F	+2	74
T45	Tom Byrum	74	12:35 pm	-	+2	F	+2	74
T45	Grant Waite	74	12:45 pm	-	+2	F	+2	74
T45	Scott Dunlap	74	12:45 pm	-	+2	F	+2	74
T45	Fred Funk	74	12:45 pm	-	+2	F	+2	74
T45	Rocco Mediate	74	12:55 pm	-	+2	F	+2	74
T45	Dan Forsman	74	12:55 pm	-	+2	F	+2	74
T45	Jeff Maggert	74	12:55 pm	-	+2	F	+2	74
T45	Jim Rutledge	74	1:05 pm	-	+2	F	+2	74
T59	Joey Sindelar	75	1:05 pm	-	+3	F	+3	75
T59	Gary Hallberg	75	1:05 pm	-	+3	F	+3	75
T59	Brian Henninger	75	1:15 pm	-	+3	F	+3	75
T59	Steve Pate	75	1:15 pm	-	+3	F	+3	75
T59	Jerry Smith	75	1:25 pm	-	+3	F	+3	75
T59	Duffy Waldorf	75	1:15 pm	-	+3	F	+3	75
T59	John Riegger	75	1:25 pm	-	+3	F	+3	75
T59	Gil Morgan	75	1:25 pm	-	+3	F	+3	75
T67	Blaine McCallister	76	1:35 pm	-	+4	F	+4	76
T67	John Huston	76	1:35 pm	-	+4	F	+4	76
T67	Joe Durant	76	1:35 pm	-	+4	F	+4	76
T67	Esteban Toledo	76	1:45 pm	-	+4	F	+4	76
T67	Mark Wiebe	76	1:45 pm	-	+4	F	+4	76
T67	Peter Senior	76	1:45 pm	-	+4	F	+4	76
T67	Peter Fowler	76	1:55 pm	-	+4	F	+4	76
T74	Mark McNulty	77	1:55 pm	-	+5	F	+5	77
T74	Wes Short Jr.	77	1:55 pm	-	+5	F	+5	77
T76	Tom Jenkins	78	2:05 pm	-	+6	F	+6	78
T76	Willie Wood	78	2:05 pm	-	+6	F	+6	78
T76	Ricky Touma	78	2:05 pm	-	+6	F	+6	78
79	Nolan Henke	80	2:15 pm	-	+8	F	+8	80
T80	Bobby Wadkins	81	2:15 pm	-	+9	F	+9	81
T80	Sandy Lyle	81	2:15 pm	-	+9	F	+9	81