Shell
Houston Open
TPC at The Woodlands
Houston, Texas
30th April - 3rd
May 1998Par
72 Prize Money $2.0 million First
Round Report First
Round Scores Hoch,
Langham share lead after first round Associated
Press The
Woodlands, Houston, Texas, 30th April 1998 - Scott Hoch knows
too well that a good start doesn't guarantee a good finish. "In
the back of your mind, you're thinking: 'When's it going to come unraveled?' "
he said following a 6-under-par 66 today that gave him a share of the lead with
newcomer Franklin Langham after the opening round of the Houston Open. Hoch,
who has four top-10 finishes this year, had birdies on three of his first six
holes of the Tournament Players Course at The Woodlands north of Houston. "I
tried to be aggressive when it warranted it, but you know, other times I did play
smart because you can't go for all these pins. "I
was 3-under, I felt good about it," he added. "I felt I could get more
and that's what I tried to do." He
did, stringing three straight birdies on his back nine. Hoch
led this tournament in 1995 by five shots going into the final round but a 75
on the last day allowed Payne Stewart to come from seven shots back to beat Hoch
in a playoff. "I
didn't lose, I gave it away," Hoch said of that collapse, which occurred
exactly three years ago today. "But I learned something that year, too. That's
probably helped me win some other tournaments, knowing that no matter how much
of a lead you have, you've still got to see it through and don't let your mind
wander." Langham,
making a second attempt on the PGA Tour after losing his playing card for 1997,
started with three straight birdies, including a 20-footer on the par-3 No. 3.
He was at 7-under and leading the tournament heading to the tough water-lined
par-4 18th when he put his drive into the rough, missed a 10-foot putt for par
and settled for his lone bogey of the day. "I
didn't do any one thing great," said Langham, ranked 164th on the money list
with a 19th-place at New Orleans his best finish of 1998. "I made a lot of
good putts. I did everything just well enough to have a good day. That's kind
of the way you want it." Bruce
Lietzke, returning to competition after four weeks off, was one shot back at 67,
along with Mike Hulbert, Jay Delsing and Guy Boros. Doug
Tewell, Donnie Hammond, Dan Forsman and Lanny Wadkins finished at 68 while David
Duval, the tour's No. 2 money winner, Tom Kite and Lee Janzen were among a group
at 69. Lietzke
was 5-under after seven holes before bogeys on Nos. 8 and 9. Hulbert,
who has missed the cut in six of 10 events this year, had his best finish of 1998
last week with a 16th at Greensboro. He had three birdies
on his front nine and three more on the back. His lone bogey, at the par-4 371-yard
No. 2, came after his second shot hit the green and rolled off. Delsing's
best finish this year is a tie for 42nd at New Orleans in early April. Boros,
who's made the cut just once in nine tournaments, was 1-under at the turn but
played the back nine with five birdies to go with a single bogey. The
tournament is sponsored by Shell Oil Co. | 
