Morse grabs one-stroke lead in first round of final stage

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CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -- PGA TOUR veteran John Morse (Marshall, Mich.) shot a 5-under-par 67 on Tuesday and holds a one-stroke lead after the first round at the Champions Tour National Qualifying Tournament at TPC Eagle Trace. Steve Thomas (Oxford, Miss.) and Mark Johnson (Helendale, Calif.), who fired 4-under-par 68s, are tied for second place.

Badz/PGA TOUR

John Morse leads by one stroke after the first round.

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After starting his round with a bogey at No. 1, Morse posted six birdies over the remainder of his round; including a pair on his final two holes to post a 4-under-par 32 on the back nine. His birdie at No. 18 gave him sole possession of the lead at the 72-hole South Florida event.

The winner of 1995 United Airlines Hawaiian Open, Morse played in nine Champions Tour events in 2008 after turning 50 in February. He made a quick impression, posting top-10 finishes in his first two starts, and closing the year with a tie for third at the AT&T Championship in San Antonio where he had open qualified. It was his best showing in his nine starts and he finished the year 57th on the money list with $272,651.

During his PGA TOUR career, Morse made 168 starts from 1984-2008, including 130 from 1994-98. His best season came in 1995 when in addition to his win, he also tied for second at the Buick Challenge and tied for third at the LaCantera Texas Open.

Robert Thompson (Huntsville, Texas) holds sole possession of fourth place at 3-under-par 69, while Kirk Hanefeld (Acton, Mass.) and Mike San Filippo (Hobe Sound, Fla.) are tied for fifth, following 2-under-par 70s.

The field also includes a number of notable PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and former amateur players. Here is where several of those players stand after the opening round: Russ Cochran, David Ogrin and Jay Don Blake (all T7); Ron Streck, Massy Kuramoto and Curt Byrum (T16); Mike Donald, Mike Hulbert, Dave Rummells and Ronnie Black (all T26); Mark James and Gary Hallberg (T35); Jerry Courville (T43); John Harris, Clarence Rose, Mac O'Grady and Phil Blackmar (T50); T.C. Chen and Donnie Hammond (T64).

There will be no cut in the 72-hole qualifier. At the end of 72 holes, the top-5 finishers earn fully-exempt status for the 2009 season, while the next seven players will be conditionally exempt. In addition, the top 30 finishers and ties will be eligible to compete for spots in open qualifiers at all co-sponsored events on the Champions Tour in 2009.