Toshiba Classic: First-Round Notebook  PGA TOUR Staff NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- Six players share the first-round lead at the Toshiba Classic, the most to share a lead in a Champions Tour event since six players were tied after the opening round of the 2006 FedEx Kinko's Classic. It is also the most to share the first-round lead at the Toshiba Classic. The previous record was five in 1996 and 2001. • A total of 27 players are within three shots of the lead after the opening round.  Allen Doyle has a stellar record at the Toshiba Classic. (Steve Grayson/WireImage)
• Allen Doyle, the 2000 Toshiba Classic winner, has been among the top eight in six of his eight appearances at Newport Beach Country Club. He got off to another great start on Friday, fashioning a 5-under-par 66. It was Doyle's 19th round in the 60s in 24 starts. • With his 6-under-par 65 on Friday, Ben Crenshaw joined five others atop the leaderboard. That marks the first time in his Champions Tour career that he has led or shared a lead after the opening round. • Loren Roberts moved closer to tying Larry Nelson's record for consecutive rounds at par or better (32) on the Champions Tour. Roberts' 4-under-par 67 gave him 30 straight rounds par/better, including 28 rounds under par. Of those 30 rounds, Roberts has been in the 60s in 20 of those and is a combined 99 strokes under par. Roberts started his streak at the 2006 Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach. • Bruce Summerhays extended his streak of events played for which he's been eligible to 154 straight when he played on Friday. Summerhays' streak is currently the longest on the Champions Tour. Dana Quigley holds the all-time record for consecutive eligible events played with 278 straight. Mike McCullough's 177 consecutive eligible events played ranks second. • Ben Crenshaw, Peter Jacobsen, Allen Doyle and Jay Haas all posted bogey-free rounds on Friday. • Peter Jacobsen fired a 5-under-par 66 on Friday, just over a week after undergoing laser back surgery in Florida. It was his low round of the 2007 season. • Mark O'Meara, who attended high school in nearby Mission Viejo and later starred at Long Beach State before embarking on a professional career, opened with a 3-under-par 68 in his third appearance on the Champions Tour. • A total of 43 players in the 78-man field finished with rounds under par and the field averaged 70.154 on Friday, nearly a stroke-and-a-half lower than the 2006 average of 71.487. Last year only 27 players finished under par in the first round. • The most difficult hole on Friday was No. 17 with an average score of 3.256 (+.256), while the second toughest was No. 5 at 4.205 (+.205). There were just five birdies on No. 17. The easiest was No. 18 with an average score of 4.436 (-.564). There were 43 birdies on the hole and just three bogeys and one double bogey. • During that run, Doyle has posted an impressive scoring average of 68.38. He has posted just two rounds over par (opening-round 75 in 2004 and final-round 73 last year). He is a combined 63 under par and is second in all-time career earnings, with $622,392. • Defending champion Brad Bryant shot a 4-under-par 67 and is currently T10. Copyright 2007 PGATOUR.com. All rights reserved. |
PGATOUR.com is part of Turner Sports Digital, part of the Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network 