Could this be the week?

    In his first 11 forays on the Champions Tour, former Ocalan Roger Rowland's play has been quite a bit less than spectacular. He's a total of 91 over par and hasn't had even one event where he wound up under par on Sunday evening. His best two efforts came in the Hoag Classic and last week's Dick's Sporting Goods Open, finishing at 2 over in each. His best first round score was an even-par 71 at the Hoag.

    Roger made his first meaningful change yesterday at the Ally Challenge in Grand Blanc, Michigan, shooting a 1 under par over the par-72 Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club course. That put him in an unfamiliar position - tied for 41st, instead of in the bottom 10 or 20 in the usual 78-man field.

    Playing the back nine first, Roger made one birdie, on No. 14, for a 1-under-par 35. On the front, he bogeyed 3 and birdied 4 for an even-par 36. He hit 12 of 14 fairways, 12 of 18 greens in regulation and went 2-for-2 on sand saves. 

    Roger is six strokes behind Fred Funk, who shot 7 under 65, and five behind 66 shooters Woody Austin, Brett Quigley and Stephen Ames. 

    Round 2 will be a very telling afternoon for Roger in his quest to keep playing against the senior set.  

    Gators: Scott Dunlap - 70, -2, tied for 34th; Chris DiMarco - 72, even, tied for 8th; Brian Gay - 73, 1 over, tied for 55th. Marco Dawson, former touring pro at Adena Springs in Ocala - 69, 3 under, tied for 19th. 

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