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Van der Walt opens narrow
advantages
Tjaart van der Walt fired
an eight-under 64 on Thursday to grab a one-shot lead over Brian Kamm and Bob
Heintz as the first round of the Buy.com Shreveport Open was suspended due to
darkness with three players on the course.
Jeff Sanday and Pat Bates
share fourth at six-under par.
Van der Walt parred the
first eight holes Thursday but broke into red figures at the par-five ninth. His
second nine would be very different than his first nine were.
He birdied the first four
holes of the back before his lone bogey of the round at No. 14. Van der Walt made
up for the miscue at 14 with back-to-back birdies at 15 and 16 and an eagle at
17.
This is the last tournament
before the Tour Championship next week so players are jockeying to make it into
the top-55 to qualify for the event. The top-15 on the money list after next week
automatically qualify for the PGA Tour in 2002 and van der Walt, at 19th, does
not seem to be thinking about it.
"I'm not worrying about
where I am on the money list," said van der Walt. "It will take care
of its self."
Kamm is in a different position
than van der Walt because he is 55th on the money list, the exact cutoff point
to play next week.
"You can't help but
think about it," said Kamm. "There is no doubt it is on your mind and
it adds pressure, but you have to stay in the present."
Kamm has been in this position
before. In 1997, Kamm was 20th on the money list entering the Shreveport Open
and he tied for second there and a tie for fifth at the Tour Championship placed
him eighth at the end.
Heintz birdied his last
five holes on the front side before dropping a shot at 11. He made three birdies
the rest of the way in for his 65.
D.A. Points, Fran Quinn,
Mark Wurtz and Pete Morgan are knotted in sixth at minus-five.
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