Bet on this tournament & other sports here

Only Fleisher can break par

Bruce Fleisher posted a one-under 69 on Thursday and finished as the only player under par after the first round of the U.S. Senior Open. Fleisher grabbed a one-shot lead over Frank Conner and Gil Morgan as heavy winds swept through Salem Country Club in the first round.

Jack Nicklaus, Walter Hall, Dana Quigley and Isao Aoki share third at one-over par.

Fleisher opened on the back nine Thursday and hit a terrible tee shot off the 10th, but recovered to save par on the hole. He broke into red figures for the first time at the 13th when he hit a six-iron from the fairway that landed five feet behind the hole.

At the 17th, Fleisher missed the fairway and could do nothing better than hack a nine-iron out of the rough. He hit a bad third shot that left him 40 feet from the hole, but drained the long par save to stay at one-under.

Fleisher bogeyed the par-five 18th when he feared knocking the ball over the green and instead fell short of the putting surface.

The 52-year-old quickly made amends for the bogey at the next hole. Fleisher hit a driver off the tee that left him only a sand wedge to the green. His six-foot birdie putt fell into the cup to get back to minus-one.

At the 207-yard fifth, Fleisher roped a three-iron long and left of the green and failed to knock his chip close. He once again converted a long par save, this time from 12 feet to remain at one-under par.

Fleisher had a chance for a long-range birdie at 17, but the ball fell one revolution short of dropping into the hole. Fleisher's 69 was his fifth straight round under-par at the U.S. Senior Open.

"Where they had the pins today, I thought it was very difficult to get close," said Fleisher. "And if you don't get it within (10-15) feet, the putting is very difficult because of the slope."

Fleisher had the lead through three rounds in this event last year at Saucon Valley in Pennsylvania but fell short as Hale Irwin fired a final-round 65 to best Fleisher by three.

"I just don't want to get Hale Irwin too mad, that's all," said Fleisher, who is in search of his first major title.

Irwin trails Fleisher by four shots after an opening-round 73. He played his first nine at even-par and birdied his first hole on the back, No. 1 at Salem Country Club. Irwin, who also won three U.S. Open titles on the PGA Tour, limped home with two bogeys and a double-bogey for his 73.

"I'm very frustrated with my game right at the moment," said Irwin. "In fact, I'm very irritated. I've been working very hard trying to get my game back in shape, but it seems like the more I work the less I get out of it. So I'm about ready to say, 'See ya.'"

Conner carded a bogey at the second hole after he drove into the left rough. He played an eight-iron into a greenside bunker and after he blasted out, two-putted for the bogey.

He more than made up for the bogey at the next hole when he used an eight-iron at the 148-yard third that nearly rolled into the cup. It stopped four inches from the hole where he tapped in to get back to level-par.

Conner parred the next 15 holes to share second place.

"The greens are firm, so it's hard to get the ball close," said Conner, who grew up playing tennis and is one of two players to compete in both tennis' and golf's U.S. Open. "It was just impossible to get the ball up and down from over the green."

Morgan, a two-time winner on tour this season, birdied the sixth, but dropped shots at two of his last three on the front for a 36. He posted another bogey at 10, but got to within one of the lead with birdies at 14 and 17.

Nicklaus bogeyed three holes on his front side, but rebounded with two back- nine birdies.

"After shooting 38 on the front nine, you bet I'm pleased to come back and shoot 71," Nicklaus said. "A 71 is a very good round here today."

Fred Gibson, Tom Wargo, Raymond Floyd, Jim Barker, Fred Harkness, Graham Marsh, Doug Tewell, Dave Eichelberger, Mike McCullough, Jim Ahern, Leonard Thompson and amateur Tom Slater are knotted in eighth place at two-over par.

Arnold Palmer holed a 50-foot birdie putt on the third hole, but shot an 11- over 81 and is tied for 132nd.

Email this page to a friend | Return to top of page