Administaff Small Business Classic: First-round notes

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THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Andy Bean's 7-under-par 65 gave him a one-stroke margin over Jay Haas and Joey Sindelar after Friday's opening round. It was the fourth time this year Bean was atop the leaderboard following the first round.

Lee Trevino liked the result of this shot on the ninth hole during Friday's first round. (Serota/Getty Images)

Inside the Numbers

18-Hole Leaderboard

Player Score 1. Andy Bean 65 -7 T2. Joey Sindelar 66 -6 T2. Jay Haas 66 -6 T4. Sandy Lyle 67 -5 T4. Lonnie Nielsen 67 -5 T4. Brad Bryant 67 -5 T4. Wayne Grady 67 -5 T8. David Eger 68 -4 T8. Bernhard Langer 68 -4

• The previous three times Bean shared the lead, including in two of his previous four starts (Walmart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach & SAS Championship). The last time Bean held sole possession of the lead after the first round was at the 2006 Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn. He went on to win the event, the first of his two Champions Tour victories.

• Bean hit all 18 greens in regulation, the only player in the field to do so.

• The Champions Tour's newest "rookie," Hal Sutton, opened with a 1-under-par 71 on Friday and is tied for 29th. It was Sutton's first competitive round since the 2006 Nissan Open on the PGA TOUR.

• Bob Gilder made his 120th consecutive start on the Champions Tour on Friday, a streak that began at the 2004 JELD-WEN Tradition. It is the longest current streak on Tour.

• Friday's field included six players who won the Shell Houston Open when it was contested on The Woodlands Country Club Tournament Course from 1985-2002. Among the former champions of that event competing are Curtis Strange (1986, '88), Jay Haas (1987), Fulton Allem (1991), Fred Funk (1992), Phil Blackmar (1997) and Hal Sutton (2001).

• Jay Haas continues to enjoy great success in this event after opening with a 6-under-par 66. Prior to Friday's round, Haas has finished tied for fifth, first and tied for fourth. Counting Friday's 66, all nine of his rounds have been under par -- with eight of those in the 60s. He is a combined 48 under par in this tournament. Haas has played 162 holes during this run and has only three bogeys (two in 2007, one in 2005). He also has 49 birdies and three eagles to his credit.

• Defending champion Bernhard Langer opened with a 4-under-par 68 and is currently tied for eighth. Langer is a combined 29 under par in four rounds in this event, including 25-under-par last year, when he blitzed the field by eight strokes.

• Joey Sindelar, Jay Haas, Brad Bryant, Hale Irwin, Jim Chancey and Tom Purtzer all posted bogey-free rounds on Friday.

• The field averaged 71.434 on Friday with 41 players finishing with rounds below par and 17 rounds in the 60s.

• Hole No. 8 was the most difficult with a scoring average of 3.158 (+.158). The easiest was No. 1 with an average of 4.789 (-.211). The most difficult hole to make a birdie was No. 10 with only five players making birdies.

• There were no eagles recorded on Friday.

• Gary McCord withdrew prior to the start of Friday's round with a back problem, while Allen Doyle (back) withdrew after five holes. R.W. Eaks withdrew after his opening round due to his continued knee woes, while Bob Murphy did not start due to the flu. Murphy was replaced by alternate Gary Hallberg.

• Brad Bryant, a native of Amarillo, led the Texas contingent with his 5-under-par 67 and is tied for fourth, while Austin's Ben Crenshaw, who tied for third last week's Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship in Baltimore, is tied for 10th after a 69.

• Current Charles Schwab Cup leader Fred Funk shot an even-par 72 and is tied for 42nd. Funk leads Jay Haas by just 28 points. Haas is tied for second.

• The race for spots in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship continues. Joe Ozaki, who is currently in 30th place shot a 2-under-par 70 and is tied for 18th. Gil Morgan, who is 31st and just under $30,000 behind Ozaki, shot a 73 and is tied for 50th. Bob Gilder, currently 32nd on the money list and $40,000 behind Ozaki is tied for 10th after a 69 on Friday.