Tidland and Chalmers set pace with matching 63s, lead by one over Price
MOSCOW, PA – Chris Tidland and Australia’s Greg Chalmers fired a 7-under-par 63s to share the opening-round lead in the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic, the 22nd stop on the 2008 Nationwide Tour schedule. Tidland posted his score in the morning to establish the course record along with a career-best in the process. Chalmers matched Tidland’s numbers 41⁄2 hours later to share the top spot in the $525,000 event, which is being held at Elmhurst Country Club after spending the first eight years at nearby Glenmaura National Golf Club in Scranton.“I knew right from the start of the day what was leading before I even started,” said the lefty Chalmers, the Tour’s No. 4 money winner. “It gives you a gauge that there are some low numbers out there and you can go and be aggressive and attack.”
Reading, PA native Rick Price, winner of the Nationwide Tour Players Cup earlier this year, shot a 6-under 64 and is alone in third place. England’s Greg Owen and former PGA Champion Mark Brooks are next with 5-under 65s. Ten more players are in with 66, four back of the co-leaders.
Tidland went out early in the morning and his 63 is his lowest score numerically in this, his 190th career start and his 586th round.
“I’ve been playing okay, nothing great,” said the former Oklahoma State standout, who has made eight cuts in 13 starts but ranks No. 80 on the season money list. “This round was just some made putts at some key times and some nice up-and-downs of ones that I wouldn’t normally be getting. Today I was chipping to gimme range whereas before I was chipping them to five feet and missing some of the putts.”
Tidland, like many in the field, were uncertain what awaited them at Elmhurst, a Donald Ross designed course that opened in 1929.
“I’m impressed,” said the 35-year old of the 6.810-yard layout. “I was kind of bummed when we weren’t there anymore but when I got here I loved it. It doesn’t really play as short as the card says. The greens are perfect and fast and there’s some rough. If you hit it in the rough off the tee you’re scrambling to hit it somewhere where you can try and chip it within eight feet and make a good putt.”
Tidland had to be careful on some of the greens, which weren’t abnormally fast, just treacherous.
“I hit a sand wedge to about 10 feet long on No. 17,” he said of his birdie putt. “I was literally trying to hit the putt six inches and it just wiggled down. It looked like it was going to miss and then it drifted in. It was one of those days where that kind of putt is falling.”
Chalmers had a nearly perfect day on a perfect day to play. Sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s made for ideal scoring.
“It was as perfect as it could be for playing golf,” said this year’s Henrico County Open winner. “I think the pace will slow down as the week goes on. The course gets bouncier and harder. The greens are very tricky if you get above the hole. You’ve got to get it in play off the tee. There’s a couple of holes where I hit it off line and into the rough and I really had no chance to hit it close. I had half a chance to get it on the green but if you’re not in play off the tee you’re really going to struggle.”
First-Round News & Notes: Daniel Summerhays withdrew prior to the start of the round and was replaced in the field by Ryan Howison…Zoran Zorkic (rib) withdrew during the first round due to an injury…Garth Mulroy (74) withdrew after the first round…Chris Thompson was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard…There were a total of seven eagles during the opening round but first eagle of the day at the new venue did not come at a par-5. Rob Bradley holed a sand wedge from 97 yards on the par-4 16th hole… Kyle Reifers made a hole-in-one at the par-3 9th. The former Charlotte, NC, resident used a 7-iron on the 185-yard hole. It is the eighth ace in tournament history and the 16th on the Nationwide Tour this year…Leading money winner Jarrod Lyle turned 27 on Thursday. The two-time Tour winner rallied with two birdies on his final four holes and posted an even-par 70…Nicholas Reach, a sophomore-to-be at Scranton Prep High School in Scranton, became the fourth youngest player ever to play in a Nationwide Tour event when he teed off in the first round. Reach is 16 years, 3 months and 9 days old. He is a member at Elmhurst CC and is playing this week on a sponsor’s exemption. Reach has been a standard bearer in this event in previous years and also caddied for Scott Parel in 2007. He rolled in four consecutive birdies around the turn to get to 3-under par through 10 holes. A birdie on his next-to-last hole got him back to 3-under, where he finished. His 67 is his lowest round ever at Elmhurst. He hit 11 of 14 fairways, 14 of 18 greens and had 29 putts…Players who were bogey-free in the opening round: 63 – Chris Tidland, Greg Chalmers; 66 – Jeff Klauk, Bubba Dickerson; 68 – Brad Weesner...This week’s field features 12 of the top 15 money winners on the 2008 Nationwide Tour. The cream is rising to the top as the schedule heads into the home stretch. Here’s how the top players are faring this week:
1. Jarrod Lyle 70
2. Brendon de Jonge 71
3. Bill Lunde 69
4. Greg Chalmers 63
5. Colt Knost 66
6. Darron Stiles 71
7. Casey Wittenberg dnp
8. Rick Price 64
9. Jeff Klauk 66
10. Greg Owen 65
11. David Mathis 68
12. Kris Blanks dnp
13. Peter Tomasulo 67
14. Aron Price 69
15. Scott Gutschewski dnp
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