Turtle Bay Championship: First-Round Notebook

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KAHUKU, Hawaii -- For the second consecutive year, the first-round leader at the Turtle Bay Championship carded a 7-under 65 and enjoys a two-stroke lead. Gil Morgan's round Friday included a pair of eagles within a four-hole stretch (#9/#12) and was his second consecutive 7-under score at Turtle Bay. Morgan closed the 2007 event at the Palmer Course with 65. Before Friday, the last time Morgan held the first-round lead in a Champions Tour event was at the 2006 Senior PGA Championship.

Rookie Bernhard Langer got off to a hot start at Turtle Bay. (Condon/PGA TOUR/WireImage)

Inside the Numbers

18-Hole Leaderboard

Player Score 1. Gil Morgan 65 -7 2. Morris Hatalsky 67 -5 T3. Fulton Allem 68 -4 T3. John Cook 68 -4 T3. Tom Kite 68 -4 T3. Bernhard Langer 68 -4 T3. Jim Thorpe 68 -4 T3. Phil Blackmar 68 -4 T3. Donnie Hammond 68 -4

• Defending champion and last week's winner at the MasterCard Championship at Hualalai, Fred Funk, carded a 2-under 70 Friay, his 14th consecutive sub-par round on the circuit dating back to last year. When Funk made bogey at the par-3 13th hole, it ended a run of 67 holes at Turtle Bay without a blemish.

• Four Champions Tour rookies are among a group of seven professionals in a tie for third (Fulton Allem, Phil Blackmar, John Cook and Bernhard Langer). Six players have won this event in their first attempt, including the last two winners.

• The Palmer Course at Turtle Bay returned to form Friday. One week after the field averaged 67.537 in the opening round at the MasterCard Championship at Hualalai, the Friday scoring average jumped over four shots Friday to 72.192. The opening-round scoring average last year at Turtle Bay was 72.615. Last year on Friday there were 13 rounds in the 60s and 25 rounds below par. This year on Friay, 16 professionals had rounds in the 60s and 33 players broke par.

• Loren Roberts, the 2006 Turtle Bay Championship winner, posted an even-par 72 Friday, ending his run of sub-par rounds at 16 consecutive dating back to last year. D.A. Weibring's 2-over 74 stopped his streak of par/better rounds going back to 2007 at 20 straight.

• Mark Weibe registered the first three-putt green of his Champions Tour career at the par-5 ninth hole, ending his streak of holes with a three-putt at 296 in a row. Weibe then three-putted again at the par-4 11th hole for bogey.

• Scott Simpson's 3-under 69 Friday gives him seven straight sub-par rounds at Turtle Bay. Simpson, a former Hawaii resident, finished second here in 2006 and tied for 10th last year. Tom Kite's 4-under 68 Friday gives him 10 straight rounds of par/better at the Palmer Course. Kite was second here in 2003 and tied for second at Turtle Bay last year.

• Bob Gilder made his 95th consecutive appearance in a Champions Tour event Friday and posted a 1-under 71.

• David Ogrin debuted on the Champions Tour Friday with a 1-under 71. A winner at the 1996 LaCantera Texas Open, Ogrin turned 50 on Dec. 21, 2007 and is playing in his first eligible event via a sponsor's exemption.

• John Cook's bogey at the par-4 sixth hole ended a bogey-free streak of 51 holes. Cook made just one bogey last week at Hualalai and played his last 46 holes of the MasterCard Championship bogey free.

• Hale Irwin hit all 14 fairways Friday from the tee. ... Morris Hatalsky had the fewest putts (23), including 13 one-putts. ... Both Denis Watson and Gil Morgan hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation. .. Bruce Lietzke hit the longest drive of the day, 347 yards at the par-4 16th hole. Lietzke ranked 48th on the Champions Tour last year in Driving Distance.

• With inclement weather expected Saturday, the second round will begin at 9:30 a.m. local time with 78 professionals going off both the first and 10th tees.