Doug Garwood of Valencia posted a 6-under-par 64 and was tied for the lead with Joe Durant and David Frost of South Africa after one round of the Constellation Senior Players Championship at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh.
Garwood, who lost in a playoff to Tom Pernice Jr. in the Principal Charity Classic three weeks ago, highlighted his bogey-free round with four birdies in a span of five holes through No. 16, and left his birdie putt to take the lead one roll short at No. 18.
“I’ve always believed the lower the expectation, the easier it is to meet,” said Garwood, who never played a PGA Tour event after leaving Fresno State. “There’s enough pressure just being out there with all the hoopla. So I just go out and try to shoot my best. I can’t think about trying to shoot 64, or winning, it just kind of happens.
“The key for me is that I’m hitting a lot more fairways than I did three or four years ago. I used to try to hit it down the middle and I could miss left or right. Now I have a driver where I can’t miss left, so that makes a big difference.”
The 50-year-old Durant, a Champions Tour rookie who won four times on the PGA Tour, birdied four of the first seven holes and three of the last six in his 64.
Frost, who won 10 times on the PGA Tour and has added five titles on the senior circuit, carded four birdies on the back nine in his bogey-free round.
Steve Pate of Ventura and UCLA posted a 65 and was tied for fourth with his former Bruin teammate, Corey Pavin of Oxnard, Olin Browne of Occidental College in Los Angeles, Larry Mize, Bart Bryant, Wes Short Jr., Bernard Langer of Germany and Peter Fowler of Australia.
