Three-way tie for lead at Colonial
The American trio of Jeff Overton, Jason Bohn and Blake Adams took a joint share of the lead after yesterday's first round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.
Each man came home seven-under-par 63, Bohn and Adams (pictured) shooting eight birdies and a bogey each and Overton keeping his card clean with seven birdies on a flawless round. England's Brian Davis was a shot further back on six-under, while two-time major winner John Daly had an encouraging opening, shooting four-under-par 66 to tie for 14th place - the same score that England's Paul Casey clocked up.
Another Englishman, Justin Rose, was a shot further back on three-under with a round that could have been even more impressive were it not for a brace of bogeys on the 14th and 15th. Tim Clark, the South African who has been runner-up here twice in the last two years, was a shot further back on three-under. KJ Choi, the Korean who impressed at the Masters earlier this year, was on the same score, as was one-time world No. 1 Vijay Singh and this year's Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin.
Ian Poulter had a quiet start, the Englishman coming home one-under-par after finding two bogeys in rapid succession on the 3rd and 4th hole before nullifying their effect with two birdies on the 7th and 8th, having earlier carded a birdie on the 14th to keep the scorecard at least respectable.
And what of Phil Mickelson? The world No. 2 could up that status this weekend, deposing Tiger Woods (absent this week, though he'll be back at next week's Memorial tournament) from the top spot if only he can win here. Sadly, Lefty's mission is off to a poor start, the 39-year-old hitting a double bogey on the 7th and then a pair of bogeys on the 16th and 18th holes to come home one-over-par 71 yesterday.
At what's one of the more forgiving courses on the PGA Tour, that score may have seemed an aberration, but it wasn't the only surprise of the day. Another pre-tournament favourite, Jim Furyk, finished a stroke behind Mick on two-over, after carding four bogeys and a double on the 13th. Maybe both players can shake off those poor performances today to drag themselves back into the reckoning.
At the Madrid Masters, the first round ended with Welsh duo of Jamie Donaldson and Rhys Davies joined at the top by England's Luke Donald, each player coming home seven-under. As the second round began today, the early news was that Sergio Garcia looked to be in danger of missing the cut, the Spaniard starting his day with a dispiriting double bogey on the 10th.
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