Eger leads cold, windy Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am by one
 
Feb. 16, 2007

LUTZ, Fla. (AP) -- David Eger shot a 4-under 67 in windy and cold conditions Friday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am.

Bill Murray
Celebrity amateur Bill Murray needed a little body English in Tampa on Friday. (Stan Badz/PGA TOUR/WireImage)
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
DAVID EGER THRU 18 HOLES
Category Total Rank
Eagles 0 N/A
Birdies 6 1
Pars 10 T46
Bogeys 2 T62
Double Bogeys 0 N/A
Other 0 N/A
Driving Accuracy 64.3% T62
Driving Distance 268.0 yds. T15
Greens in Regulation 55.6% T36
Putts per Round 24.0 1
Putts per GIR 1.400 1
Sand Saves 100.0% T1

Eger, the former PGA TOUR and USGA executive who won the last of his two Champions Tour titles in 2005, had six birdies and two bogeys on the TPC Tampa Bay.

"The score is great. But I wasn't happy with the way I have hit the ball," Eger said. "I hit some good irons, but I didn't hit a lot of good tee shots. It could have been better. ... You have to play aggressively out here. You just can't play conservatively because there are only three rounds."

Tom Wargo opened with a 68, and Jay Haas, Wayne Levi and John Harris shot 69s on the chilly day when temperatures dipped into the low 40s.

Mark O'Meara had a 74 in his first Champions Tour round.

"There was probably a little bit more pressure on me since the last few years there really hasn't been that much pressure," O'Meara said. "The people see me come out here on the Champions Tour and they say, he's won 16 times on the PGA TOUR with two majors, and all of a sudden I am thrown back into a pressure situation. Hopefully, I can come out (Saturday) and post a better number."

Nick Price, making his second start of the Champions Tour, also opened with a 74.

Eger started early in the morning before the wind kicked up. He birdied the first two holes, hitting an 8-iron to 6 feet on the first and a 5-iron to 6 feet on the second.

Eger bogeyed the par-3 sixth, but came back with a birdie on the seventh. He had three birdies without a bogey on the back nine, holing an 18-foot putt on 17.

Wargo chipped in for birdie on No. 9 and made a 30-foot putt on the 16th.

"I don't mind this cold weather at all," said Wargo, from Centralia, Ill. "I'm a cold weather player to start with so it doesn't bother me at all. "I enjoy this a lot more than the hot weather. Bring it on."

Defending champion Jerry Pate shot a 73, while Mark James, the winner last week in the Allianz Championship, had a 72.

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