Another first round of an Open, another terrific day for Tom Watson.
With memories of his surprising performance in the U.S. Open at Olympia Fields still vivid, Watson shot a 5-under-par 66 to take a three-stroke lead after the rain-shortened opening round of the U.S. Senior Open at Toledo’s Inverness Club on Thursday.
A thunderstorm suspended play with 36 of the 156 players still on the course. The first round will be completed Friday morning. The second round will start as scheduled.
Bruce Lietzke was alone in second after a 69. Mike McCullough and J.C. Snead were the only other players to break par, each at 70. The top four players all went off early in the morning.
Two weeks ago, Watson electrified the U.S. Open galleries by shooting a 65 to share the lead after the first round.
This round lacked the emotion of that one. There were no hugs with ailing caddie Bruce Edwards, just an occasional exchange of fist pumps after a long birdie putt found the hole.
St. Jude Classic: Jay Haas and Darron Stiles shot 7-under-par 64s in rainy Memphis to share a one-stroke lead in the suspended first round.
Play was stopped twice because of rain at the TPC at Southwind course, and more rain and darkness kept 56 golfers from finishing. Haas, 49, picked up where he left off last week with a final-round 65 to tie for fourth at the Buick Classic.
French Open: Amateur Eric Chaudouet shot a 6-under 66 at Versailles to share the first-round lead with England’s Phil Golding and Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts.
CDGA Amateur: Bob O’Link’s Jay Dempsey defeated Brian Streeter of Calumet Country Club 5 and 4 to win at Evanston Golf Club. Dempsey, 40, played the last 14 holes in 6 under par.
The final was tied after 18 holes, but Dempsey took control in the afternoon with birdies on the second, fifth, seventh and eighth holes–where he chipped in from 30 feet–to go 4 up.
