First round of Children's Miracle Network Classic: Highlights
The first round of PGA Tour’s latest Children's Miracle Network Classic turned out to be a finely contested one, with no less than seven players finished tied for the lead at the scenic Disney's Magnolia & Palm Courses · Lake Buena Vista, Fla. World number Luke Donald posted an opening round of six-under, 66 to share the lead with six other players including James Driscoll, Arjun Atal, Nathan Green, Gary Woodland, Scott Stallings and Derek Lamely.
Driscoll, currently poised at number 125 on the Money List, is eager to improve his rankings in order to avoid going back to the Qualifying School. He finished 157th on the Money List last year and had to return to the Qualifying School to earn back his card.
A crowded leaderboard at the end of the season is quite an expected sight as the players are battling to end the season with a hope to retain their tour cards. Another group of seven players finished for a joint second including Scott Gutschewski, Steven Bowditch, William McGirt, Kris Blanks, Paul Stankowski, Ben Martin and Bio Kim, one shot behind the lead. McGirt, for instance, is standing at 138th on the money list and requires a strong finish to barge into the top-125 to retain his card.
Webb Simpson, the nemesis for Donald, finished for a joint 15th, just two shots short of the lead. He is currently leading the money list with his consecutive victories on the tour and is proving quite a challenge for Donald. He finished runners up in last week’s McGladrey Classic to summit the money list, leading by $363,029. Donald is hoping to post a strong finish in order to regain the money leader title by the end of the season. Interestingly, the duo has been placed in the same group and were seen constantly exchanging thoughts during the round.
"He asked when I was having my offseason," Donald said. "I said, `Well, it was going to be this week. Thanks for playing the last two weeks.' But yeah, just some light-hearted banter out there."
Rookie Stallings is following the trail left by the flamboyant Keegan Bradley who went over to post three victories for the season. He is hoping to pull another victory on the tour after his maiden win at the Greenbrier Classic.
Green is also stuck in the bottle neck for the moment, poised at 175th on the tour money list and his playing exemption, which he acquired after his RBC Canadian victory in 2009, will expire after this season. He has been able to pull just one top-ten finish in the current season and this is the second time in his career that he has opted to play at Disney. His venture in 2006 finished with a disappointing joint 51st.
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