Kiyoshi Murota leads Senior PGA Championship at rain-wrecked Valhalla
Japanese ace Kiyoshi Murota smashed a score of 6-under-par 66 to surge into first-round lead in the Senior PGA Championship. The second major of the Champions Tour circuit is taking place at the par-72 Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.
The 55-year-old pro, Murota teed off from the back in the early timings, when the skies were clear and reeled only two birdies to get a good overview of the course. Using the familiarity factor, the Asian stepped onto the front
nine and reeled six birdies without dropping a shot.
Murota's first accomplishment arrived, as he stepped on the second tee. The crowd supporting the Asian filled the air with applause and taking encouragement from it, the player fired two more birdies on the immediate holes to settle
down nicely. He clamped one more birdie on the front and sealed it with a score of 6-under-par 66.
When asked to comment on the results, the six-time winner on the Japanese Tour said, “All the fairways are so wet, not good. So I kept it in the fairway with the driver. The conditions were not good today. I tried to keep it in
the fairway today. That was my thinking.”
Murota was chased by Trevor Dodds, who signed for a 67 after teeing off from the front. The American birdied two holes and bogeyed an equal number of holes to leave the front at par. However, on his way to the back, the player
decided to bring a change in strategy and this time, he did not attack the green from the left side, as the most of the greens were steeply sloped. The new game plan worked for the player and he carded five birdies, as a result of his accurate assessment.
Recapturing the game plan in front of the press, Dodds said, “So you hit more fairways. And you get away with a few shots coming into the greens where you, if you hit it a little thin or whatever, the ball stops on the green and
doesn't roll through.”
Two strokes behind Dodds was Mark O'Meara, who carded five birdies and a bogey to make his presence felt on the European Tour.
Lonnie Nielsen and Bruce Vaughn finished three strokes shy of the leader and compiled 69 each.
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