Fernandez takes opening day honours

Vicente Fernandez took it easy during the offseason - and made it look easy in the ACE Group Classic.
Well-rested and injury free, the 56-year-old Argentine player shot a 6-under 66 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead over Bruce Fleisher, Jim Thorpe and Mike McCullough.

"I thought I was playing too much the last few years," Fernandez said. "I wasn't feeling well, so I decided to take it easy. I thought I needed to feel I wanted to play.

"I don't like to feel that I have to come down here to the golf course. That's work. I don't like to work."

Fernandez, who won the last of his three Champions Tour titles in 1999, played in the Argentine Open and PGA during the offseason, but did not practice before the tournaments.

"I committed myself not to play," he said. "I forced myself not to play. I told myself, 'No practice.' I enjoyed my family and I enjoyed my friends. I tried to take it very easy physically."

Fernandez bogeyed his opening hole - the 10th - and made the turn at 1 under on The Club at TwinEagles course. He then birdied five of the first seven holes on the front nine to take the lead.

"I struck the ball very well," he said. "I took advantage of the iron shots I hit close to the hole."

Tom Watson, 1998 and 2001 winner Gil Morgan, rookie Gary Koch, and last week's winner, Dave Barr, were in a large group at 68. Defending champion Hale Irwin, also the 1997 winner, had a 69.

Jack Nicklaus, playing his first full-field event since the Senior PGA in April, had a 76. The 63-year-old Nicklaus triple-bogeyed No. 3, hitting two balls in the water. He designed the TwinEagles course with son Jack II.

"I haven't played much golf," Nicklaus said. "I'm trying to get my game back in shape. I'm going to have some good rounds and I'm going to have some bad ones.

"Today wasn't a very good one. Hopefully, I'll be a little better tomorrow and just keep shooting and trying to work back into the game of golf."

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