FORT WORTH, TEXAS (AP) - Colonial member Ryan Palmer shot an 8-under 62 on Thursday to match the first-round record at Hogan’s Alley and take a one-stroke lead over John Rollins.
The bogey-free 62 equaled Palmer’s lowest round on the PGA Tour.
Palmer, the former Texas A&M player who has three PGA Tour victories, and longtime caddie James Edmondson are full dues-paying members at Colonial. Edmondson is even the reigning club champion.
Graham DeLaet, wearing pants with a plaid design similar to the jacket Colonial winners get, matched Morgan Hoffmann, David Hearn and John Peterson at 64. Matt Kuchar, No. 13 in the world ranking and the highest-ranked player in the 136-man invitational field, was in a group of six at 65.
Defending Colonial champ Zach Johnson opened with a 69.
SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
ST. LOUIS (AP) _ Jay Haas and Duffy Waldorf shared the first-round lead in the Senior PGA Championship, shooting 5-under 66 at Bellerive Country Club.
The 59-year-old Haas, the winner of the major championship in 2006 and 2008, had a bogey-free round. The 50-year-old Waldorf had six birdies and one bogey.
Haas has 16 Champions Tour victories after winning nine times on the PGA Tour. Waldorf is winless in 11 career starts on the 50-and-over tour after winning four times on the PGA Tour.
Sonny Skinner, the PGA head professional at River Pointe Golf Club in Albany, Ga., was a stroke back along with Japan’s Kiyoshi Murota. Defending champion Roger Chapman opened with a 72.
BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) _ South Africa’s James Kingston shot a 6-under 66 at Wentworth to take the lead during the suspended first round of the BMW PGA Championship.
Afternoon play was delayed for about 90 minutes because of the threat of lightning and five groups were still on the course when the round was suspended for the day because of darkness.
Finland’s Mikko Ilonen opened with a 67, and Scotland’s Scott Henry and Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano shot 68. Austria’s Martin Wiegele also was 4 under with five holes left.
Sergio Garcia, the Spanish player whose verbal sparring with Tiger Woods turned ugly this week when he said he would “serve fried chicken” if he had dinner with Woods, opened with a 72.
Second-ranked Rory McIlroy bogeyed five of the last six holes for a 74, and playing partner Graeme McDowell, coming off a victory Sunday in Bulgaria in the Volvo World Match Play, also had a 74.
Ian Poulter finished with a 76, and two-time defending champion Luke Donald had a 78.
NCAA WOMEN’S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) _ Annie Park shot a 2-under 70 in windy conditions to take the individual lead and help Southern California increase its lead to 17 strokes with one round left in the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships.
Park, a freshman from Levittown, N.Y., who won the Pac-12 Championship and tied for first in the NCAA West Regional, had a 9-under 207 total at the University of Georgia Golf Course for a two-stroke lead.
Southern California, 12 strokes ahead entering the day after breaking the NCAA tournament round record with a 12-under 276 on Friday, had a 3-under 285 for a 19-under 845 total. Duke was second at 2 under, and defending champion Alabama was tied for third at 9 over with Purdue and UCLA.
Southern Cal won NCAA titles in 2003 and 2008 and was second last year.
BAHAMAS LPGA CLASSIC
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) _ The LPGA Tour is going to use as much of the flooded Ocean Club course as it can for its inaugural trip to the Bahamas.
The Bahamas LPGA Classic is to start Friday with a 12-hole round, using the holes that aren’t under water from the worst flooding in about 20 years. Officials hope the rest of the course will drain in time for an 18-hole Sunday. Otherwise, it would be three rounds of 12 holes for the 144-player field.
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