OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Tom Watson doesn't know much about R.W. Eaks, the first-round leader in the U.S. Senior Open.
"All I know is that he can hit the ball through plywood," Watson said.
Besides establishing himself as a heavy hitter, Eaks hasn't done much else of note during an unspectacular career. But he put his name in the record book Thursday by shooting a 7-under-par 64.
Eaks, who has never won a PGA event of any kind, led Watson by three shots after carding an eagle, eight birdies and three bogeys on a difficult Caves Valley course that yielded only nine sub-par rounds on a sweltering day.
Play was suspended for the day because of lightning with 33 players still left on the course — none in position to overtake Eaks.
"I'm kind of disappointed I didn't shoot a 63, actually," said Eaks, whose 64 tied the record for lowest round in the U.S. Senior Open.
Watson's bogey-free 67 put him one shot ahead of James Mason and Jose Maria Canizares.
"Playing here in the Senior Open, it gets my juices flowing. I love it," said Watson, a two-time Masters and U.S. Open champion. "I just hope to continue to play well here."
Arnold Palmer thrilled the crowd by opening with six straight pars. He then made a double-bogey and a quadruple-bogey and finished with an 82.
Much of Eaks' pro career has been spent on the Buy.Com Tour, golf's version of the minor leagues. But after one round of one of the senior tour's most prestigious tournaments, he found himself in the lead and ahead of one of the game's great golfers.
"I've seen his name on the board before, but it's been occasionally," Watson said. "You always remember Eaks; it's an unusual name. But I don't know him well enough to know about his struggle."
While Watson has amassed more than $10 million playing golf, the $450,000 top prize for winning this tournament would more than double Eaks' career earnings.
Eaks has played 258 Buy.com tournaments, second on the career list. He also played in 74 PGA Tour events, but managed only two top-10 finishes before his career was temporarily curtailed in 1998 by a serious hip injury.
"It's been a long and tedious recovery, but I think we've made it now," he said.
Last week, however, Eaks tied for 71st at the Greater Baltimore Classic after his back gave out on the second hole of the 54-hole tournament.
But his second hole Thursday proved to be the springboard for a record-tying round. Starting on the back nine, Eaks made an 8-foot putt on No. 11 to spark a string of five birdies in six holes. A poor chip and an errant putt from 6 feet resulted in a bogey on 17.
He rebounded with a 4-foot birdie putt on No. 1 and a 25-footer for birdie on 2, then made a marvelous eagle on the par-5, 515-yard third hole. After a solid drive, Eaks used a 6-iron to get within 14 feet of the cup and drained the putt.
"I got to 8-under par and started thinking about, man, maybe I can shoot a 59 today," he said. "That was probably the wrong thing to do, but you have to think that way if you're going to shoot low."
A par on No. 4 and bogeys on Nos. 5 and 7 ruined his bid for a 59, but a birdie on No. 8 enabled Eaks to tie three players — Orville Moody, Bruce Fleisher and Jay Sigel — for the lowest 18-hole score in U.S. Senior Open history.
"It's always nice to have your name somewhere," Eaks said.
That's not been a problem for Watson, whose list of accomplishments also includes five British Open titles. This year he's finished second in three senior events and is 15th on the money list.
"Today I had a good, solid round of golf," Watson said. "This year, although I haven't won, things are going well for me on the senior tour. I still have a little bit of life left in me."
UJGA TOURNAMENT: Sterling Clark of Salt Lake City secured a spot in the United States Junior Amateur by running away with Utah's qualifer. Clark shot rounds of 65-72: 137 (-7) at Wasatch Mountain State Park on Wednesday and Park City Golf Course Thursday to take medalist honors.
Three others qualified for the junior championship, to be held at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Deluth, Ga., in July: Robbie Fillmore, Salt Lake City; Christian Jensen, St. George; Ari Goott, Sandy.
ST. JUDE CLASSIC: At Memphis, Tenn., Glen Hnatiuk and Tim Petrovic shot 6-under-par 65s and took a one-stroke lead over a tightly bunched leaderboard in the suspended first round of the St. Jude Classic.
Afternoon thunderstorms delayed play for more than three hours, and play stopped at 8:39 p.m. EDT, due to weather just before darkness, with 78 players still on the TPC at Southwind course.
Hnatiuk had seven birdies and one bogey, while Petrovic, who played on the Buy.Com Tour last year, turned in a bogey-free, six-birdie round that was his best yet on the PGA Tour.
Justin Leonard, Matt Kuchar, Garrett Willis, Notah Begay and David Howser were a stroke back, while Deane Pappas, Doug Barron and Steve Pete had 67s. David Toms and Nick Price were in a group of seven tied at 68.
IRISH OPEN: At Cork, Ireland, Fred Funk shot a 5-under-par 66 and shared the first-round lead at the Irish Open with Nick Dougherty, Joakim Haeggman, Eduardo Romero and Peter O'Malley.
Defending champion Colin Montgomerie shot a 67 and was in a five-way tie for sixth along with Lee Westwood on the Fota Island course on Ireland's south coast.