Summerhays shoots record 62

There's a Bruce at the top of the leaderboard once again in a Senior PGA Tour event. This time, however, it's not Bruce Fleisher.

Bruce Summerhays fired a course-record, 10-under-par 62 today to grab a three-shot lead after the first round of the LiquidGolf.com Invitational at the TPC at Prestancia.

Summerhays didn't win a tournament last year, but still finished eighth on the money list while battling the effects of osteoarthritis, a progressive degenerative joint disease with which he was diagnosed in 1997.

"I went through the process of trying to find some drugs that would work," he said.

Finally, in September, Summerhays was introduced to Celebrex, a new prescription drug.

"It has really helped me," he said. "I had the best end of the year I've ever had. A lot of the pain was gone.

"I felt good. I could exercise hard. I could hit more balls. My energy level was up."

Today, so was Summerhays' golf game. He birdied seven out of nine holes in one stretch and shot a 6-under 30 on the back nine to lead Tom Wargo by three shots. Fleisher, a nine-time winner in less than two years on the tour, and John Morgan were four back.

"It's a scoring golf course," Summerhays said. "It's one of the courses where you need to put some nice numbers up to win the golf tournament. When you come here, you know that's going to be the case."

It was Fleisher's sixth straight round in the 60s. However, Fleisher has felt he hasn't played well this year, despite winning two of the three Florida events.

"I hit better shots today than I hit the last three weeks," the tournament's defending champion said. "When I saw Bruce was 10-under, I think I was 2-under or maybe 3.

"At least I feel like I'm within striking distance."

Wargo, who hasn't won since 1995, birdied four straight holes on the back nine to get in at 65. The former club professional didn't finish in the top 31 on the money list last year for the first time in seven years.

"It was just a steady round," said Wargo, who has struggled with his swing the last two years. "Nothing great, nothing bad. We played good enough all the way around. We struck it well. We rolled it well and we hit enough greens in the wind."

Behind the top four were nine players at 5-under-par 67, including tour rookie Lanny Wadkins and Sarasota resident Jim Albus. Another 10 were at 68.

If the weather is forgiving, the TPC course has been known to yield some low scores. Hale Irwin won here in 1996 at 19-under-par.

"I would say this is a kind golf course," Fleisher said.

"There's two more days to go," Wargo said. "We've got plenty of time. Anything can happen here.

"If you see the scores in the past, they've been pretty low here."

Meanwhile, Summerhays will try to stave off everyone else to get his first victory since the 1998 State Farm Senior Classic.

"On this tour, I've not been a good front-runner," Summerhays said. "I hope this week that'll all change. Bruce Fleisher, on the other hand, he's only lost one time when he's been in front."

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