Texans Bryant, Fergus share opening Ginn Championship lead  PALM COAST, Fla. (AP) -- Brad Bryant had an eagle and four birdies during a six-hole stretch Friday to earn a share of the first-round lead with fellow Texan Keith Fergus in the Ginn Championship Hammock Beach Resort.  Keith Fergus had an eagle and three birdies Thursday. (Steve Grayson/WireImage)
Bryant, who began his round at No. 10, was 6 under at one point and finished with a 5-under 67 in windy conditions at the Ocean Club at Hammock Beach course bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Fergus was one of three players who didn't bogey a hole, and highlighted his round with a 14-foot putt for eagle at the par-5 10th. Raymond Floyd, a four-time major champion, flirted with shooting his age of 64 before settling for a 68 to tie Des Smyth, R.W. Eaks and Joe Ozaki. It was Floyd's best opening round on the Champions Tour this season. Past Masters champions, Mark O'Meara, Craig Stadler and Ben Crenshaw, three-time U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin and Tom Purtzer, who won on the Champions Tour two weeks ago, led a large group at 3 under. Bryant started 475 PGA TOUR events before recording his only victory at the 1995 Disney World Classic. He's proven to be a quicker study on the Champions Tour, winning twice last year in his second season and finishing third on the money list. Fergus, a three-time winner on the PGA TOUR, is seeking his first Champions Tour victory after 71 career starts. Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. |
