John Cook eagles the final hole on day one to share the lead at the Nature Valley First Tee Open
John Cook sank a 30-foot eagle putt on the final hole of Pebble Beach Golf Links, to share the lead after the opening round of the Nature Valley First Tee Open, on Friday, July 6, 2012.
Cook got off to a confident start on the back nine of the course, as he carded four birdies against a lone bogey to go three-under for the round through to the 18th hole.
Thereafter, he lost some pace and parred five holes, followed by a birdie-bogey streak starting from the sixth hole.
Through 17 holes (No. 8), he was two strokes behind Tom Kite and managed to find the green on the second shot on the ninth hole.
Thereafter, he did something that stunned his rivals as well as the spectators present on the course. It was a beautiful eagle putt that put him alongside Kite to share the top spot on the leaderboard, with a five-under par 67.
"It was a nice way to finish the round," Cook said. "I made a lot of birdies and took advantage of my chances. You have to take advantage of Del Monte when you get those".
Overall, it was a great display of game offered by Cook, as he was quite accurate in making his strokes. Four of five birdie putts recorded by him came from eight feet or less.
In addition to that, he succeeded in hitting the greens in regulation 14 times on the opening day.
"My irons and wedges were on today," said Cook, who hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation. "And the greens here are so good. You're not so scared to death to go at it".
He is currently winless on the Champions Tour, after leading the last year’s season with three wins in total.
He now looks happy after getting such a strong start in the three-day event being played on two courses — Pebble Beach and Del Monte.
In the meantime, Mark McNulty, Loren Roberts and Tom Pernice Jr. carded a four-under par 68 to share the third spot on the leaderboard.
Jeff Sluman, the defending champion, carded a one-under par 71 to tie for the 17th position.
Tags: