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Watson leads with first
day 64
Tom Watson had a hole-in-one
in a round of 8-under-par 64 Friday to take a one-stroke lead over Dana Quigley
in the Senior PGA Tour's ACE Group Classic.
Ben Crenshaw shot a 76 in
his senior tour debut, closing with a bogey on the par-5 No. 17 and quadruple
bogey on the par-4 18th.
Watson birdied Nos. 10,
11 and 14 to reach 5 under, then aced the 163-yard, par-3 16th with a 6-iron and
followed with a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 17. He also saved par on No. 8, holing
a 20-footer after hitting into a bunker.
``The eighth hole was the
turnaround, the 16th hole was the icing on the cake,'' the fifth-time British
Open winner said.
``That 20-footer on No.
8 was what turned the round around. I was pretty upset with myself after hitting
lousy shots and three-putting, and kind of wasting a good start with the three
birdies. It really just turned from a so-so round into a real good one.''
Crenshaw hit into the water
on Nos. 17 and 18.
On No. 17, a par-5 with
a green guarded by water on the left, the two-time Masters champion pulled his
second shot into the water. On the 457-yard 18th that goes around a large pond,
Crenshaw hit his tee shot into a fairway bunker. He barely got it out of the bunker,
then pushed his third shot into the water. After the penalty stroke, Crenshaw
hit his approach to the left of the green, chipped on and two-putted for an 8.
``I'm trying to do my best
to forget this round,'' Crenshaw said. ``I seemed to have made all of my mistakes
on two holes.''
Jim Thorpe was two strokes
back after a 68, and 1999 winner Allen Doyle followed at 67. Hale Irwin was four
back at 68 along with Don Pooley, Sammy Rachels, Tom Jenkins and Dick Mast. Senior
rookies Fuzzy Zoeller and Tom Purtzer shot 71s.
Irwin was penalized a stroke
after his round for accidentally dropping his ball on his coin on No. 5. The coin
moved, resulting in the penalty.
Watson is seeking his first
victory in Florida. He nearly won in Naples two years ago at Pelican Marsh Golf
Club, falling to Lanny Wadkins in a four-man playoff. Watson has played in 75
regular tour events and six senior events in the state.
``I've finished second a
few times, but I've never won,'' Watson said. I don't know. Too many chads, I
guess.''
Spectators and players got
a surprise visit in the afternoon.
Gov. Jeb Bush and former
President George Bush stopped by after playing in a fund-raiser for the Florida
governor in Naples on Friday morning. The Bushes visited briefly with Irwin on
the driving range, then went out on carts -- with secret service -- and met with
Crenshaw, a longtime friend of the family.
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