Perry, Small share 1-stroke lead at Senior Players
HIGHLAND PARK, ILL. » Kenny Perry wasn’t sure what to expect. He’s still rounding back into form following shoulder surgery. His back’s bothering him, too.
A spot at the top of the leaderboard in a major? He’ll take it.
Perry and Mike Small shot 7-under 65s to share a one-stroke lead in the first round of the Constellation Senior Players Championship on Thursday.
Bart Bryant, Glen Day and 2015 U.S. Senior Open champion Jeff Maggert were one stroke back in the fourth of five majors on the PGA Tour Champions schedule.
Defending champion Scott McCarron was in a pack at 5 under, while three-time Senior Players winner Bernhard Langer and Vijay Singh were another shot back at Exmoor Country Club. David Toms, coming off a win at the U.S. Senior Open, shot 2 over.
The 57-year-old Perry and the 52-year-old Small — the longtime Illinois golf coach — each made eight birdies and one bogey. Perry is in contention for his fifth senior major to go with two U.S. Senior Opens (2013, 2017), a Senior Players Championship (2013) and the Regions Tradition (2014).
Surgery on his right shoulder kept him out from November until late April. He has one top-10 finish in seven starts this season.
Adding to his difficulties, Perry’s back flared up on him last week. He bent over to pick up a club while practicing at home in Kentucky. Next thing he knew, he was on the ground and then rushing to see his chiropractor.
All that happened as he was recovering from a bout with strep throat.
“I had played seven straight weeks in a row,” Perry said. “It was terrible . ... Seven weeks in a row was way too much golf for an old man, so I just said that was not what I needed to do anymore. Last week was horrible. I couldn’t do a lot. And then didn’t have a lot of expectations coming in here, but I hit the ball nice and finally made a few putts, and that’s why I shot a good score.”
Wheatcroft shoots 9-under
SILVIS, ILL. » Steve Wheatcroft shot a careerbest 9-under 62 on Thursday to take a oneshot lead in the John Deere Classic.
Wheatcroft birdied seven of the last nine holes to finish a shot ahead of Michael Kim. Johnson Wagner, Nick Taylor, Andres Romero and Joel Dahmen shot openinground 64s. Francesco Molinari, who won the Quicken Loans National two weeks ago, was among a group of players three strokes back.
Zach Johnson shot 69 and three-time John Deere winner Steve Stricker finished at 1-under 70.
Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, the highest-ranked player in the field, withdrew because of a right shoulder injury.
Crosby leads inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open
WHEATON, ILL. » Elaine Crosby shot a 3-under-par 70 at Chicago Golf Club for the lead after one round of the inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open.
A winner of two tournaments in 17 LPGA seasons, the 60-year-old Crosby owns a oneshot advantage over Trish Johnson, Laura Davies and Liselotte Neumann.
Crosby started on the back nine with a 3-under-par 34 and made just one bogey on the day at one of the oldest 18-hole courses in the U.S.
Suwannapura leads
SYLVANIA, OHIO » Thidapa Suwannapura shot a 6-under-par 65 to take the first-round lead at the Marathon Classic on Thursday.
Suwannapura, who has three top-10 finishes in 117 career LPGA Tour events, birdied five of the final six holes, including the par-5 18th at Highland Meadows. The Thai player had her last top-10 finish in 2014 at the Kingsmill Invitational. Her best performance this season was a tie for 18th three weeks ago in Arkansas.
List equals course record
GULLANE, SCOTLAND » American golfer Luke List equaled the Gullane course record with a 7-under-par 63 to start the Scottish Open.