Coceres takes opening honours with 62

Jose Coceres birdied eight of his first 11 holes and shot a 9-under 62 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead in the opening round of the John Deere Classic.

Coceres, seeking his first victory since winning twice in 2001, made four birdie putts within 9 feet and rolled in another from 45 feet to make the turn at 6 under. After two more birdies, Coceres made a 36-foot birdie putt at the par-4 fourth in his bogey-free round at the Tournament Players Club at Deere Run.

Vaughn Taylor eagled the par-5 17th to briefly take a share of the lead but he three-putted the final hole for a bogey and finished with a 63.

Greg Chalmers and tour rookie Daniel Chopra were two shots behind Coceres. All three took advantage of a morning round played with soft greens and little wind.

"It's very important to have a lot of confidence," Coceres, a native of Argentina, said through an interpreter. "I got some birdies, (was) playing well and got to 4 under. Then that gave me more confidence to attack the later holes."

Taylor, who also eagled the par-5 second, said he didn't look at the leaderboard until No. 17 when he moved into the tie with Coceres.

On the final hole, Taylor hit his approach to about 20 feet and left his birdie putt short of the hole. He had a 2-foot putt for par, but it lipped out when he hit it a little hard.

"I felt like I made a good stroke there, it just didn't go in," Taylor said. "I didn't feel any different. I felt fine."

It's been a while since Coceres was atop a leaderboard.

Coceres finished 34th on the money list in 2001.

Coming off his best year as a professional, the 40-year-old broke his right arm in a pickup soccer match with friends at his hometown of Cardales over Christmas.

The injury was a major setback.
Coceres, who learned the game by hitting pieces of cork with tree limbs, was limited to 16 events in 2002 because of the injury. He missed three of his first four cuts and finished in the top 25 just twice. The next year provided more frustration, and Coceres had one top-10 finish and missed the cut in 10 of 21 events.

He is playing better of late. Coceres tied for sixth at the Shell Houston Open and followed with another strong performance, finishing in a tie for 11th at the MCI Heritage.

Coceres says his lengthy recovery is behind him.

"I had forgotten about that. I just remember it now that you mention it," joked Coceres, who says he's become more cautious away from the golf course.

"Now I play soccer with my hands tied."

Vijay Singh, the defending champion, posted a 2-under 69 -- seven shots off the lead.

Singh has never before played the week before the British Open.

For most players, a victory here would mean a trip to next week to Royal Troon. The highest finisher not already eligible qualifies for the British Open.

"I'd crawl over broken glass to play the British Open," Chalmers said. "I'll do anything to play at the moment. But certainly the British Open, I wouldn't turn my nose up at that.

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