Potter Opens With 65 in Illinois
Friday, June 23, 2017

    If not for a three-putt green, Ted Potter would be tied for the lead after the opening round of the Web.com Tour's Lincoln Land Charity Championship. Ted hit the green on the par-4 seventh hole at the Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Illinois, but took three to get it in the hole, and wound up with a sharp 6-under-par 65, one stroke behind the leaders, Carlos Ortiz, Vince India and Jin Park. 

    Ted began on the front nine and quickly went to 4-under with birdies at 1 and 3, and an eagle three on the par-5 sixth. He dropped back to three under with the bogey at 7, and turned in 3-under 32. He then birdied No. 11 to get back to four under and was tied for 12th at the time, but another eagle, at the par-5 13th, put him at six under and deadlocked for second behind early finisher Ortiz.

    After a tee shot into the rough and a missed green led to a bogey on 15, Ted birdied the final hole for a back-nine 33 to get back to six under and a tie for fourth. 

    Veteran Robert Allenby chipped in with a 4-under 67, and Brad Elder made it in from the alternate's list and also shot 67, as did another Tour veteran, John Merrick. Tommy (Two Gloves) Gainey was at 3 under and former Seminole Jack Maguire at 2 under. 

    SPIETH TAKES CHARGE - Jordan Spieth broke out of his recent doldrums and posted a 7-under-63 to take the first-round lead at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn. He has a one-stroke lead over Gator Brett Stegmaier and Johnson Wagner. 

    Brett began on No. 10 and his round of 64 included seven birdies in a nine-hole span between the 13th hole and the third. Gator Matt Every also got off to a good start and he's tied for sixth with 4-under 66. Rory McIlroy is at 3 under, along with Jim Furyk and Patrick Reed, while Seminole Daniel Berger is at 2 under. 

    With the early projected cut at minus 1, Gator Brian Gay (+2), Jason Day (+2), Justin Thomas (+3) and Bubba Watson (+5) have their work cut out for them. 

Leave a comment below
comments powered by Disqus