ATLANTA, Georgia, 6 November 2004 — Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke grabbed a share of the first-round lead in the six million-dollar Tour Championship Thursday, while world No. 1 Vijay Singh stayed within range.
Clarke, Jay Haas and Jerry Kelly finished atop the leaderboard on 67 in difficult conditions, one shot in front of David Toms and Zach Johnson. Fiji’s Vijay Singh, seeking his 10th victory of the season, was within two strokes of the lead after a steady 69 at East Lake Golf Club.
Singh benefited from a lucky bounce off a photographer at the 17th to make a birdie that left him tied for sixth in the elite field of 31.
Should Singh win, he will become just the fourth player to record at least 10 victories in a season on the PGA Tour, joining greats Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Sam Snead.
In contrast, Clark is in danger of finishing a season without a win for the first time since 1997. Tiger Woods, playing for the first time since his marriage last month, struggled to a 72 that included three bogeys on the back nine. Davis Love withdrew after 14 holes due to a neck injury. Haas, at 50 the oldest player in the field, had an eagle at the par-five 15th, where he hit a five-wood to the fringe and sank a 16-footer.
Pavin Snapping at Que’s Heels
In Hanoi, Angelo Que of the Philippines snatched the halfway lead at the inaugural Carlsberg Masters 2004 Vietnam yesterday with former US Open champion Corey Pavin and Thai stalwarts Boonchu Ruangkit and Thongchai Jaidee hot on his heels.
The 26-year-old Que carded a six-under-par 66 at Chi Linh Star Golf and Country Club to open up a three-shot advantage over the chasing pack in the $200,000 Asian Tour event.
Pavin cruised into position with a bogey-free 68 for joint second place with the in-form Boonchu, who carded a 69, Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand (71) and Que’s compatriot Jerome Delariarte (70).
Sorenstam All Set for Record-Tying ‘Four Peat’
In Otsu, world No. 1 Annika Sorenstam, back from a two-day battle with poor health, got off to a flying start in the LPGA Mizuno Classic golf tournament yesterday in her bid for a historic “four-peat.”
The 34-year-old super-Swede eagled on the first hole with a 45-feet putt and then piled up seven birdies to top the leaderboard with Japanese veteran Chihiro Nakajima at 63 after the first round. Nakajima, at 40 the oldest in the field of 76 players, also went bogey free with nine birdies, tying the course record on the par-72, 6,450-yard Seta Golf Course.
Only one player won a single LGPA tournament for four years in a row. Britain’s long-hitting Laura Davies, now 41, triumphed at the Standard Register PING tournament from 1994 to 1997. Sorenstam and Nakajima were trailed three strokes behind by Thailand-born South Korean Aree Song and Australia’s Rachel Teske at 66.
