Trio top first day leaderboard

Andy Bean, John Harris and Allen Doyle tied the course record with 7-under-par 65s Friday and shared the first-round lead at the Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am.

Mark James and Morris Hatalsky were a shot back at 6 under, and six players were tied at 5 under. Twenty players are within four shots of the lead at the National Golf Club of Kansas City.

Bean was back in contention one week after being forced to withdraw from the final round of the Farmers Charity Classic due to an allergic reaction to food he had for breakfast. Tied for the lead heading into the final round, Bean passed out in the caddie tent and could not tee off, missing out on the chance for his first victory since the 1986 EDS Byron Nelson Classic.

"I won't be having English muffins and sausage for breakfast," Bean joked Friday.

Bean opened with five birdies on his first six holes and made the turn at 30 after seven birdies, a par and a bogey. He made three more birdies on the back nine, including the 18th after hitting his approach to 5 feet. He gave two strokes back with a double-bogey at the par-3 16th.

"That was pretty much a stress-free round," Bean said. "I was hitting it right at the flag most of the time. When I get it going at the flag it's almost easy.

"It was one of those rounds where you just enjoy going out and playing. I've got my iron game going really good right now."

Harris, looking for his first Champions Tour win, opened his round birdie-eagle and went on to add five more birdies, including three straight from Nos. 14-16.

"It's really fun being in an early group," said Harris, in the second group to tee off. "You know you're going to get done before the wind starts howling.

"I got off to kind of a dream start."

Doyle, who won the event in 1999 when it was known as the TD Waterhouse Championship, started on the back nine and made par on the first five holes before carding consecutive birdies at Nos. 15 and 16. He also birdied the 18th, his ninth, and added four birdies over his final nine holes to grab a share of the lead.

"You knew when you started that you were playing in a foursome so play was going to be slow," Doyle said. "You just try to put yourself in a position where you feel you can hit some shots. I finally did that."

Course designer and Kansas City native Tom Watson was nine strokes behind the leaders after an opening 2-over 74.

"The 74 was a miserable round," Watson said. "I didn't play very well. I struggled with the golf swing and struggled with the putter. It is what I grossly deserved."

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