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Tom Purtzer used an old putter to handle young greens in a 7-under-par 64 that staked him to a two-shot lead Thursday in the opening round of the Los Angeles Open.
Jesper Parnevik, a European Ryder Cup player from Sweden, and Chip Beck shared second, while Fred Couples-runner-up to Greg Norman last week in Thailand-and Fuzzy Zoeller were among a group at four under.
“It’s the kind of round I’ve needed to turn things around,” Purtzer, who has battled a slump for the last two years, said after his bogey-free effort over a demanding course.
“This is the best I’ve hit the ball in four or five years.”
Purtzer said he was aided by an old putter he returned to his bag for the first time in more than a year. He used it to one-putt 10 times Thursday.
