Allen Doyle takes open honours with 64 - Commerce Bank Championship 2006

The 57-year-old Doyle had arthroscopic knee surgery in September to repair a torn meniscus. As he recovered from that he developed plantar fasciitis in his feet.

"Not a good combination," he joked after making nine birdies in a 7-under 64 Friday that gave him a one-stroke lead over Gil Morgan in the Commerce Bank Championship.

Because of his noticeable limp, he was asked how much it hurt to walk the course.

"There's no pain," he said, "it just looks like I am, I guess."

Doyle, the oldest entrant in last week's U.S. Open, missed that cut by one stroke. He was fifth behind Morgan in the Allianz Championship, the last tournament played on the Champions Tour.

"Traditionally, I'm a warm weather player," said Doyle, a native of New England who lives in Georgia. "It's a combination of me starting to get healthy and the warm weather is coming."

Six of Doyle's birdies at the 7,011-yard Red Course at Eisenhower Park came on putts of less than 10 feet. He started his round with one of his two bogeys.

He couldn't resist the opportunity for some word play when asked to compare the Open, played last week at the treacherous Winged Foot Golf Club, and this Champions Tour event on the county-owned public facility.

"In a way, this was a walk in the park after Winged Foot," he said.

Tom Wargo, Jack Ferenz, Don Pooley and Jim Ahern all had opening 67s and were one stroke in front of a group of six that included Bruce Fleisher, who won this tournament in 1999 and 2000.

Morgan matched Doyle's six birdies from inside 10 feet as he looks for a second straight win on tour. He won the Allianz Championship in Iowa the first weekend in June, his 24th career title. The next event was rained out near Boston and the tour was off last week because of the U.S. Open.

"I didn't drive it very well today but I made some putts and I could have made a few more," said Morgan, who is fourth on the money list and has finished in the top 10 in his last three tournaments. "I made a few birdies out of the rough today so it's possible."

Doyle's opening bogey -- his drive found a hole in the first cut of rough and he had to lay up -- was a distant memory after four straight birdies, the first three on putts of 8, 7 and 1 foot. His second bogey was on the par-4 15th after a poor tee shot but he came right back with his final birdie of the day, from 12 feet on the 178-yard hole.

"You can never get too excited or too down," said Doyle, who has two top-10 finishes this season, including a fifth behind Morgan in Iowa.

Doyne has finished in the top 10 in this event five of the last seven years.

"You really have to keep an even keel," he said.

Morgan had five birdies on the back nine, including four in a five-hole stretch starting at No. 12.

"If you're hitting it well here, you'll have opportunities for birdies," he said.

Ten players were at 69 including defending champion Ron Streck and Jay Haas, who came into this tournament having won his last three Champions Tour starts, one short of the record set by Chi Chi Rodriguez in 1987.

"I played well but I'm really disappointed considering I was 4 under with six holes to play and then doubled-bogeyed 13 (a par 3) and bogeyed 18," said Haas, who made the cut at the Open and finished at 15 over, 10 shots behind winner Geoff Ogilvy. "This was such penalty rough as Winged Foot but it's still a darned good golf course."