Lowery & Lickliter share first day lead

A 15-minute telephone conversation with his father helped put Dave Stockton Jr. in position to salvage a season of frustration.

Stockton shot a 5-under-par 67 today in the opening round of the Southern Farm Bureau Classic. leaving him three strokes behind leaders Steve Lowery and Frank Lickliter.

Lowery and Lickliter shot bogey-free 64s. Tom Pernice Jr. was one stroke back at 65, and Brandt Jobe, Brian Gay, and Grant Waite, Michael Clark and Billy Andrade shot 66s.

Stockton was in a group of eight players at 5-under and is among the many at Annandale Golf Club this week scrambling to earn enough money to receive a PGA Tour card for 2001.

Coming into the season-ending tournament ranked 138th on the PGA Tour money list, Stockton probably needs to finish near the top of the leaderboard to crack the top 125 and avoid having to play qualifying tournaments to retain his card.

After missing the cut last week in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Stockton spent Sunday at home in La Quinta, Calif., with his wife, daughter and visiting parents.

Using a few putting tips from 10-time PGA Tour winner Dave Stockton, Stockton made seven birdies and one-putted after the first 12 greens he hit today.

"He left and I got to thinking 'You know I'm not putting that good. Maybe I ought to talk to him,' so I called him on the phone,'' said the younger Stockton, who called this season the worst of his seven-year career.

"He said, 'It sounds like you've got the ball too far away from you at your address position. You've got to keep the ball more beneath you and your eyes over the ball.' So I moved the ball closer to me and now everything is going good.''

Things have been going well for Lowery all season, but especially lately.

Coming off a sixth-place finish last week and an eighth-place the week before, Lowery came into the tournament 36th on the money list. He was among seven players to eagle No. 18.

After almost perfect conditions in the morning for Lowery, gusty winds and steady rains arrived in the afternoon. The round was suspended with nine players on the course.

Lickliter prospered in the poor weather, chipping in for two of his eight birdies.

"The lies I had were perfect,'' he said of the chip shots. "I couldn't place it any better.''

Lickliter, 51st on the money list, and Lowery are playing this tournament without the prospect of a dreaded trip to Q School hanging over their heads.

Lowery played with Dan Forsman (125th on the money list) and Tommy Armour III (122), two players sitting on the bubble.

"I told my caddie, 'Let's try to have a good attitude, encourage these guys.' They're going to be on the edge, so we're trying to basically help them to do well,'' Lowery said. "They had pretty good days, but you could tell they were a little bit quieter than they normally are.''

Armour shot a 68. Forsman shot a 71 that could put him in trouble. The average score for the day was 70, thanks in part to soft greens.

Pernice, 123rd on the money list, and Jobe, 127th, both breathed a bit easier after strong opening rounds.

"It's a tough time for guys right around the bubble,'' Jobe said. "People don't realize how big a deal this is for us.''

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