Three share first-round lead in Athens
ATHENS, Georgia – New Zealand’s Bradley Iles birdied his final four holes Thursday to post a 5-under 66 and grab a share of the first-day round at the Stadion Athens Classic at UGA. Iles is joined at the top in Athens by a pair of rookies, Mark Anderson of South Carolina and leading money-winner Bobby Gates.Gates’ former roommate at Texas A&M University, Martin Piller, bogeyed the final hole for a 4-under 67 and is tied for fourth place with Daniel Summerhays of Utah, Australian Stephen Leaney, rookie James Hahn, Arjun Atwal and Michael Putnam.
A total of eight players are knotted at 3-under 68, including Jason Kokrak, a Monday qualifier a week ago at the South Georgia Classic in Valdosta, where he finished T13. Also in the group at 68 is Harris English, a junior on the current Georgia golf squad.
Iles was the first to post a 66 and despite hitting only 12 of 18 greens at the University of Georgia Golf Course. The 26-year old Kiwi was saved by his work on the greens.
“I just holed everything,” he said. “I must have holed 200 feet of putts Thursday. I hit a few good shots but that was probably the best I could play. That was probably the best score I could have shot Thursday. That shows how strong the course is for me, I holed everything and shot 5-under.”
The UGA course, designed in the late 1960’s by famed architect Robert Trent Jones and renovated in 2006 by PGA Tour member Davis Love III, has quickly gained a great deal of respect by the Nationwide Tour members who are seeing the par-71 layout for the first time.
“It’s hard,” Gates offered of the Tournament’s new site. “The greens are going to be really fast and the pins are very dicey. If you miss the green in the wrong spot, you’re not going to have 10 feet for par. You have to control your ball, especially your second shots into the greens.”
Gates, winner of the season-opening Michael Hill New Zealand Open, did a better job with his irons and hit 14 greens in regulation. While he didn’t make every putt he looked at, he did give his efforts a thumbs up, finally.
“I hit the ball beautifully. It was good and could have been really good,” said the Florida-born, transplanted Texan. “I finally saw some putts lip-in, which is very positive. I’m excited about that because the last month or so they’ve been going the other way. Thursday it was nice to see a few take a peek and go in.”
Anderson, from Beaufort, South Carolina, hit 16 greens and moved into a first-place tie for the first time in his young pro career.
“I drove it well. I really kept the ball in play,” said Anderson, who is No. 25 on the money list after making five cuts in his six previous starts this year. “The greens are so tough to read. I think there’s a lot of local knowledge involved with putting on these things and knowing where to hit it. They’re a good speed. I think if they get them too fast they’d be out of control.”
First-Round Notes:
* Bryan DeCorso (79) and John Riegger (76) both withdrew after the first round.
* The scoring average for the opening round was
* There were only three eagles recorded on day one and all three came from Georgia-connected players. Former Bulldog Brendon Todd (76) made an eagle-3 at the par-5, 7th hole and Athens resident Greg Lee (77) holed out from the 9th fairway from 149 years for an eagle-2 to close his round late in the day. Scott Dunlap, who lives in Duluth, Georgia, had a 1-under 70 that included an eagle-3 at the par-5, 12th hole.
* There are nine current/former Georgia Bulldogs in the field this week:
Justin Bolli 74
Paul Claxton 72
Harris English @ 68
Brian Harmon 73
Russell Henley @ 73
Chris Kirk 69
Kevin Kisner 73
Matt Peterson 71
Brendon Todd 76
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