Philip Walton opened his inaugural appearance at the 73rd US Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid with a birdie on the hist first hole - the 538 yard par 5 10th - at Harbor Shores in Michigan.
With wind usually pushing from left to right, the par-5 normally forces the drive along the left side of the fairway to avoid bunkers and hazards in the landing area, with the layup shot to the left side of the fairway on order to give the best shot at the treacherous four-tiered green.
Known as one of Nicklaus’ most famous greens and at nearly 10,500 sq. ft, players must hit the correct tier to avoid long and undulated lag putts. For the 1995 Ryder Cup legend it proved grist to the mill, signing for a one under par four and getting the Malahide golfer off to a good start.
He remains within two shots of the leader after five holes.
Roger Chapman took the early clubhouse lead after a run of four birdies in five holes around the turn helped the Englishman to a three under par 68.
Chapman fared best among the morning starters in testing winds at Harbor Shores, Michigan, thanks to his hat-trick of birdies from the seventh for a front nine of 34 and then another birdie on the par three 11th. Indeed it could have been five in a row but for a three-putt from distance on the tenth.
The fact he hit every fairway and 16 of the 18 greens in regulation underlined the quality of his ball-striking in the season’s first Senior Major, and only his second event of the season.
“I drove the ball very well, didn't miss a fairway,” he said. “And the iron play was good as well. I had a couple of three putts out there, but I think that if you don't have a three putt in 72 holes around here, then you've done really well.”
“It was a solid round,” he continued. “Surprising really, because we have only played one event in Europe this year, so this is probably my fourth real competitive round this year. So it's a long way to come, and a long wait. But I'm very pleased with the way things are going.”
Chapman’s birdie run began with a 30 foot putt on the seventh, followed by some lovely wedge play on the next two holes as he pitched to 12 feet twice and holed out each time.
“That was a nice little run there and for the momentum going for the round.”
And after the slight blip of a three putt on ten he drained a 40 foot putt on the very next hole.
The 16th was arguably the best indication of the strength of the wind as after hitting nine iron approaches in practice he was forced to go in with a four iron.
“The wind was really starting to pick up about the sixth and seventh. That's when we noticed it. With the wind, and the greens are quite firm, it's very difficult to actually get the ball close. So you might hit a good shot in and it might just go with the wind a bit and go 25, 30 feet past. And then with the slopes on the greens that it makes the putting quite tricky as well.”
Chapman’s closest early challenger was American John Cook, in the clubhouse one behind after a two under par 69.
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