Bruce Summerhays and Vicente Fernandez shot 6-under-par 65s on Friday to share the first-round lead in the Senior PGA Tour's inaugural Boone Valley Classic.
Summerhays birdied four of the last six holes, but missed a 15-footer for birdie on the 18th hole.The tournament was a homecoming of sorts for Summerhays, who was born in St. Louis while his father was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood. The family moved away from Missouri when Summerhays was 6 months old.
Fernandez, a 50-year-old Argentine who won the Burnet Senior Classic in July, birdied Nos. 4-7 to make the turn at 4-under and added birdies on Nos. 13 and 14.
"My whole game was really sharp," Fernandez said. "I missed a lot of opportunities from within 10 feet."
Bunky Henry opened with a 66 on the Boone Valley Golf Club course. Five players, including Tom Wargo of nearby Centralia, Ill., were at 4-under, and six were at 3-under.
Local favorite Hale Irwin, the tour's leading money winner and a resident of St. Louis County, shot a 70.
"I see people popping out of the crowd that I hadn't seen since I've been on the tour," said Wargo, who was paired with Irwin. "To win here would be very nice - a little more cheese on top of the cake - or what is it, frosting."
Jim Dent, Graham Marsh, Charles Coody and Bruce Lehnhard also shot 67s, while Jim Colbert, Walter Morgan, Gibby Gilbert, Bob Murphy, Rick Acton and Jimmy Powell followed at 68.
Perhaps the most unlikely name on the leaderboard was Lehnhard, a 53-year-old club pro from Virginia who had to place among the top three in a qualifying event to even make the tournament.
Lehnhard was 1-over after nine holes, but made five birdies in a six-hole span beginning on the 10th hole.
"On the back nine, I hit the ball very well - really didn't miss a shot," said Lehnard, playing in just his fifth tour event this year.
Marsh, who won the Franklin Quest Championship last week at Park City, expects low scores throughout the weekend.
"I'll be very surprised if sometime by the end of the week somebody doesn't shoot a low one. I mean 63, 64," said Marsh, who has broken par in 13 consecutive rounds. The Australian is 76-under during the streak.