3H AGO
Ben Crane leads after Round 1 of Insperity Invitational
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Ben Crane makes birdie on No. 15 at Insperity Invitational
Written by Staff
PGA Champions rookie Ben Crane birdied six of his first 10 holes en route to an opening 7-under 65 at the Insperity Invitational to lead by one.
| Player | To Par | Scores | |
| 1 | Ben Crane | -7 | 31-34 – 65 |
| T2 | Shane Bertsch | -6 | 33-33 – 66 |
| Thongchai Jaidee | -6 | 31-35 – 66 | |
| Richard Green | -6 | 34-32 – 66 | |
| Boo Weekley | -6 | 33-33 – 66 |
Ben Crane, 31-34 – 65 (-7)
- The 50-year-old seeks his first win on PGA TOUR Champions (seventh start).
- Best finish: second (2026 Senior PGA Championship)
- Entered the week ranked No. 8 in the 2026 Charles Schwab Cup standings with two top-10 finishes (six starts)
- Top-10 finishes: second (Senior PGA Championship), T10 (Mitsubishi Electric Classic)
- Turned 50 years old on March 6
- This is his low 18-hole score on PGA TOUR Champions (18th stroke-play round)
- Previous low: 66 (Hoag Classic, Round 1)
- This is his first time leading/co-leading after any round on PGA TOUR Champions
- Previous best position: T2 (Mitsubishi Electric Classic, Round 1) – finished T10
- Looks to become the second rookie winner of the 2026 season on PGA TOUR Champions.
- Previous instance: Zach Johnson (James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational)
- Made one appearance at The Woodlands Country Club for the Texas Children’s Houston Open (2002, MC)
Other notes
- Shane Bertsch, who started the week as second alternate, sits T2 after opening with 6-under 66. The 56-yearold seeks his second win on PGA TOUR Champions (141st start).
- Last win: 2020 Charles Schwab Series at Bass Pro Shops Big Cedar Lodge
- Thongchai Jaidee (T2), who finished T4 in each of the previous two Insperity Invitationals (2024, 2025), carded 6-under 66. The 56-year-old seeks his third win on PGA TOUR Champions (108th start).
- Last win: 2023 PURE Insurance Championship
- Richard Green (T2) shot bogey-free 66. The 55-year-old seeks his second win on PGA TOUR Champions (85th start).
- Last win: 2025 Rogers Charity Classic.
- Boo Weekley sits T2 after posting bogey-free 66. The 52-year-old seeks his first win on PGA TOUR Champions (64th start).
- Best finish: T2 (2026 Chubb Classic)
- Two-time champion (2022, 2023) Steven Alker and World Golf Hall of Fame member Ernie Els are two of the five players sitting T6 at 5-under.
- Alker, who entered the week No. 4 in the 2026 Charles Schwab Cup standings, is one of two multi-time winners of the Insperity Invitational, along with Bernhard Langer (four wins)
- Defending champion and Charles Schwab Cup leader Stewart Cink (T11) carded 1-over 37 on the front nine before firing 5-under 31 on the back nine. Cink has won four of the eight tournaments contested on PGA TOUR Champions in 2026.
- Robert Karlsson (T11) made a hole-in-one on the par-3 14th hole.
- 2006 champion and 72-year-old Jay Haas (T18) opened with bogey-free 69 to shoot his age or better for the 43rd time on PGA TOUR Champions.
- 2017 champion John Daly withdrew during the first round.
