Q-school: Four tied for lead after first day of final stage

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Chris Condon/PGA TOUR

Curt Byrum is tied for the lead after the first day in the final stage of q-school.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- PGA TOUR veteran and Scottsdale resident Curt Byrum eagled his last hole of the day to post a 6-under-par 65 on the Champions Course at TPC Scottsdale and share the first-round lead at the 2009 Champions Tour National Qualifying Tournament with John Ross (Freeman, W. Va.), Terry Burke (Bethesda, Md.) and Lu Chien Soon (Taipei, Taiwan).

After shooting 5-under 31 on his first nine holes, Byrum three-putted two par 3s (Nos. 6 and 8) for two bogeys on his second nine but closed strong with a 15-foot eagle putt on the par-5 9th hole. "It was obviously nice to finish with the eagle, but I really hit it good all day. I didn't make too many mistakes," Byrum said afterward. A long-time resident of the Phoenix area, Byrum said there was no home-course advantage this week. "Even though I live here, this course stays really busy and I haven't played that much here, probably only three total rounds," he said.

The winner of the 1989 Hardees Golf Classic on the PGA TOUR and currently an analyst for GOLF CHANNEL, Byrum is tied with Ross, a two-time winner on the Sunbelt Seniors Tour this year, along with Burke, a three-time winner of the Maryland Mid-Amateur, and Soon, a 10-time winner on the Asian Tour.

With sunny skies, temperatures in the mid-70s and very light winds, a total of 38 players managed to break par in Round 1, including 30 rounds in the 60s. The field scoring average on the par-71 course was 70.603 and there were 13 eagles made.

This marks the first time since 1998 that as many as four players have been tied for the first-round lead at the Champions Tour's National Qualifier and the 65s by the leaders are the lowest first rounds posted since 2006 when Thailand's Boonchu Ruangkit carded a 7-under 65 at TPC Eagle Trace.

In addition to Byrum, this year's field also includes a number of notable PGA TOUR and Champions Tour winners. Here is where those players stand after the opening round: R.W. Eaks (T5), Bruce Vaughan (T9), David Peoples (T12), Jay Don Blake (T12), Ron Streck (T12), Keith Clearwater (T12), Gary Hallberg (T12), Mark W. Johnson (T23), Ronnie Black (T23), Wayne Grady (T23), Ted Schulz (T23), Chip Beck (T31), John Harris (T31), Bobby Clampett (T39), Trevor Dodds (T39), John Morse (T39), James Mason (T64), Mike Nicolette (T64) and Denis Watson (T64). Robert Thompson, last year's Q-school medalist, shot 2-over 73 today and is T58.

There will be no cut in the 72-hole qualifier. At the end of four rounds, the top-5 finishers earn fully-exempt status for the 2010 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 next year.