Steve Flesch is bogey-free on the Horrible Horseshoe this week. (Halleran/Getty Images)

By PGATOUR.COM staff

Steve Flesch has to know the odds. There's a couple dozen players within reasonable striking distance Sunday at the Crowne Plaza Invitational, and he's two shots behind Matt Kuchar with several players in between. He's also 46, having not played a full four rounds on the PGA TOUR in nearly two years.

Then again, what if?

Flesch turned 46 on Thursday, and he's celebrated by shooting 68-64-69 to give him a shot at a second Colonial title. He won the first in 2004, giving him a spot in the field virtually as long as he wants it. Even though he's built a nice side career as an analyst on Golf Channel, Flesch would love to pull a shocker Sunday in Fort Worth.

That would do a number of things for him, most notably, provide (nearly) a clear path to the Champions Tour, which he will join in 2017.

There's only been two winners over the age of 40 on the PGA TOUR this year (Brian Gay, 41, and Phil Mickelson, 42). Other that those two, the oldest winner has been (gasp) 37-year-old Tiger Woods.

It's been nearly three years since a player 46 years or older has won on TOUR: Rocco Mediate was 47 when he won the Frys.com Open. Mediate used a two-year exemption to blaze his path to the Champions Tour, where he's already become one of the best players on the over-50 circuit.

Flesch hasn't been fully exempt since 2011, and he endured a 2012 season in which he didn't even break 70 in 25 tries.

"I didn't make a cut, and I played hurt," Flesch said earlier this week. "And after a year like last year, and missing the cut again last week, you just kind of never know.

"I know I have it in me. But until you actually do it and prove it to yourself, it's a tough hurdle. It's more mental than it is physical. You just have to trust what you're doing and keep working at it."

Flesch had to rally to break 70 Saturday. He birdied the last two holes to earn a tee time only 40 minutes ahead of the leaders on Sunday, which means this 46-year-old was able to sleep late in preparation for his biggest round in years.

In the big picture, a victory may not be needed. Flesch has to earn nearly $650,000 in only six events to get his card back -- he took a Major Medical Exemption for 2013 -- and a solo second-place finish would take care of that.

 

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Steve Flesch turned 46 years old on Thursday but was too tired to celebrate his birthday. An afternoon tee time and the stress of making just his third start on the PGA TOUR this year had worn him out.

But he'll be in a festive mood Friday night, particularly after a 6-under 64 that vaulted him near the top of the leaderboard in the second round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. It also ends a streak of 16 consecutive missed cuts; his last made cut was the 2011 Frys.com Open.

"Maybe tonight we will actually have a birthday dinner," Flesch said, "and I will have a couple of cold ones."

Although Flesch is a past champion at Colonial, having won here in 2004, he has never gone lower in a single round. Friday was his 53rd round in this event. He certainly knows his way around here.

"I told my wife when we drove over here Sunday afternoon it's kind of like coming home," Flesch said. "... It's just a place I feel really comfortable."

Flesch has seen limited action on TOUR this year as he juggles his duties on the Golf Channel. He played in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in February, and then played in last week's HP Byron Nelson Championship. He missed the cut in both starts.

He also missed the cut in all 12 of his TOUR starts last year. He entered 2013 needing to earn $647,510 in six events to extend his non-exempt Major Medical Extension due to right shoulder surgery.

A big weekend could get him there.

"I've honestly been playing hurt for the last two years," he said. "It isn't much fun. Last year was no fun at all. I'm finally healthy and it's nice to play."

Before Jhonattan Vegas, William McGirt, Hunter Haas and anyone else inside the current top 10 took the course Thursday, the guys listed below were your leaders. The majority of the 10 listed below are fighting for spots inside the top 125 on the money list. Below are the players who posted scores of 65 or better in Round 1 that have afternoon tee times Friday. Track them all afternoon to see who can string together back-to-back good rounds at TPC Summerlin and regain their position near the top of the leaderboard.

Player Money rank Score Tee time Starting hole Shot Tracker Nathan Green 178th 7 under 3:17 p.m. ET No. 10 Click to follow Steve Flesch 122nd 6 under 2:39 p.m. ET No. 1 Click to follow Matt Jones 121st 6 under 2:49 p.m. ET No. 10 Click to follow Rod Pampling 119th 6 under 2:49 p.m. ET No. 1 Click to follow Harrison Frazar 64th 6 under 2:58 p.m. ET No. 10 Click to follow Nick Watney 3rd 6 under 2:58 p.m. ET No. 1 Click to follow Derek Lamely 194th 6 under 3:17 p.m. ET No. 10 Click to follow Vaughn Taylor 148th 6 under 3:17 p.m. ET No. 1 Click to follow Blake Adams 82nd 6 under 3:46 p.m. ET No. 10 Click to follow Garrett Willis 141st 6 under 3:46 p.m. ET No. 10 Click to follow

Jhonattan Vegas and William McGirt, two PGA TOUR rookies, find themselves atop the leaderboard after the first round of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Vegas, who won early this season at the Bob Hope Classic after finishing No. 7 on the 2010 Nationwide Tour money list, is one of six rookie winners on the PGA TOUR this season. McGirt, a 2010 q-school graduate, hit his stride late in the season as he escaped the FedExCup bubble to qualify for The Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship. Nathan Green, who held the lead for much of the afternoon, ended up one shot off the pace. Charlie Wi birdied two of his last three holes to get to 7 under and tie Green for third place. There are 11 golfers (including Nick Watney, Steve Flesch, Matt Jones and Tim Herron) tied at 6 under, two shots off the pace. Click below to see some of the best shots from Thursday's opening round at TPC Summerlin.

By Chris Dunham, PGATOUR.COM At No. 122 on the money list, Steve Flesch knows he has work to do to be fully exempt on the PGA TOUR next season. He also knows that dozens of golfers will be chasing him for his spot inside the top 125. Flesch opened with a 6-under 65 at TPC Summerlin that has him one shot off the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open lead. His round featured eight birdies against two bogeys, and was one shot shy of his best showing at TPC Summerlin since 2004. “If you don't get off to a good start here, you feel like you're just trying to play catch up the whole week,” he said. “My mindset is I've got nothing to lose the last few weeks, so I'm going to play all four (Fall Series events), see what happens. I'm going to play aggressively. That's how you have to play in Vegas.” Flesch’s aggressive play paid off Thursday. He birdied five of his first 10 holes at TPC Summerlin and hit 83 percent of his greens in regulation despite missing five fairways. Flesch had been hitting 59 percent of his greens up to this point in the season. “If you do hit it in the rough you have to think about what you're doing,” Flesch said. “And a couple of guys in our group did not have pitch-out lies but they had lies where they could not get to the green from about 160 yards. It's sketchy in spots but you still have to drive it in the fairway.” The four-time PGA TOUR winner is in search of his first victory since the 2007 Turning Stone Resort Championship -- the first event in the history of the Fall Series. His best finish since that victory was a tie for third at this year’s Reno-Tahoe Open.

Off in the second group this morning, Steve Flesch posted a score for the rest of the field to look at Thursday morning. Flesch posted a 6-under 65 that has him leading in the clubhouse at TPC Summerlin. Three players currently on the course are also at 6 under with anywhere from one to four holes to play. The former Kentucky Wildcat started on the back nine at TPC Summerlin and turned after bogey-free 4-under 32. He alternated birdies and bogeys on his first four holes on the front nine before closing with three pars and two more birdies -- upping his Round 1 count to eight. Flesch, who entered the week at No. 122 on the money list, is making his 11th start in this event. He has two top-10 finishes including a tie for sixth in 2003, but hasn’t finished inside the top 50 in six Vegas starts since then.

At first it looked like Steve Flesch would go low at TPC Summerlin. Then, if only for a brief couple holes, Billy Mayfair was on 59 watch. With much of the morning wave on its back nine now, the leaderboard is shaping up much like a 2010 Thursday leaderboard that featured five players tied for the 18-hole lead at 7 under and five others one shot off the pace. Currently, there are eight players -- Flesch, John Merrick, Matt Jones, Rod Pampling, Nick Watney, Robert Garrigus, Nathan Green and Paul Stankowski -- tied atop the leaderboard at 5 under with six checking in one shot off the pace at 4 under. Much can, and will, change between now and tonight’s conclusion of play but early indications are that tonight’s leaderboard may be just as packed, if not more crowded, than last year’s.

TPC Summerlin, the site of this week’s Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, surrendered 1,800 birdies and 44 eagles (including a walk-off ace) in the 2010 event. It looks as though this year’s field is picking up right where last year’s left off. Steve Flesch is the early co-leader in Las Vegas after making a birdie on No. 1, his 10th hole of the day, to reach 5 under for his opening round. The 44-year-old is no stranger to early Fall Series success. He won the first event in Fall Series history at the Turning Stone Resort Championship in 2007. Flesch, who ranks No. 122 on the PGA TOUR Money list, is 17th all-time Fall Series earnings. Joining Flesch atop the leaderboard is Billy Mayfair. The 2010 q-school medalist just eagled the drivable par-4 15th to reach 5 under through his first six holes. One shot off the pace is Tom Gillis, who has birdied four consecutive holes to reach 4-under through five.

EDISON, N.J. – Steve Flesch has become the fourth player to withdraw from The Barclays, stopping after nine holes of his second round while suffering from a sinus headache.

Flesch came into the week ranked 121st and will not earn any FedExCup points. So he will miss next week’s Deutsche Bank Championship and the rest of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

Stuart Appleby and Chris Couch withdrew prior to the start of their second rounds, citing back injuries. Pat Perez withdrew on Thursday after his first round.