SAS Championship: First-Round Notebook  PGA TOUR Staff CARY, N.C. -- In his Champions Tour debut Friday at the SAS Championship, Mark Wiebe posted a 7-under-par 65, his best round on TOUR since posting a 7-under 65 on the first day of the 2001 Advil Western Open in Chicago.  Boongchu Ruangkit posted his lowest round ever on the Champions Tour Friday at Prestonwood. (Michael Cohen/WireImage)
• Mark Weibe became the first player since David Edwards at last year's FedEx Kinko's Classic to lead/co-lead after the first round in his first start on the Champions Tour. Edwards shared the top spot after play on Friday in Austin with Tom Kite, Curtis Strange, Bruce Fleisher, Jay Haas and Craig Stadler. He eventually finished solo fourth in his initial start on the circuit in Texas. • Thailand's Boonchu Ruangkit, the medalist at last fall's National Qualifier, also posted a 7-under 65 Friday, his career-low round on the Champions Tour. Ruangkit shares a first-round lead on the Champions Tour for the first time in his career. • Mark Weibe's and Ruangkit's 7-under 65s Friday were just one stroke off the Jim Thorpe's mark for the lowest first-round score in tournament history (2002). • In the first 24 Champions Tour events this year, just seven first-round leaders/co-leaders have gone on to win. R.W. Eaks was the last to do so last week in Hickory after opening with a course-record-tying 9-under-par 63. • South African Fulton Allem also made his Champions Tour debut Friday and posted a 3-under 69 (tied for 15th). • Playing in the first group of the day, Dick Mast carded a 5-under 67, matching his low round of the year on the Champions Tour (Rd. 2, Turtle Bay Championship). Mast also equaled his best score ever at Prestonwood (Rd. 2 in 2002). • The stroke average for the field Friday was 71.359, the lowest opening-round scoring average in event history. Last year, the field averaged 72.883 on Friday. The previous record low stroke average on Friday at Prestonwood was 71.872 in 2001. • Defending champion Tom Jenkins carded an even-par 72 and now has a streak of 13 straight par/better scores at Prestonwood. Andy Bean remained perfect at Prestonwood as well. His 3-under 69 Friday means he's been par/better rounds in all 12 rounds he's played on this course. • Dana Quigley, Denis Watson, Joe Ozaki, Massy Kuramoto, John Harris and Don Pooley all carded bogey-free rounds. • Chip Beck's run of bogey-free holes at Prestonwood ended at 40 straight after he made a double bogey at the par-4 5th. In his first trip to Raleigh last year as a member of the Champions Tour, the Fayetteville, N.C., native played all 36 holes without making a bogey and tied for second behind Tom Jenkins. • Jerry Pate and Bob Gilder had the only eagles Friday at the par-5 17th hole. • Just seven birdies were made at the par-4 14th hole and it played to a stroke average of 4.218, the most difficult for the field. Conversely, at the par-5 17th hole, there were 43 birdies and two eagles made by the 78 players in the field. • Peter Jacobsen had to withdraw before his first round with a lower back injury. Jacobsen was replaced in the field by Ron Streck. |
PGATOUR.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network