Joe Durant used an early string of five straight birdies to shoot a 6-under-par 66 and take a share of the first-round lead at the Constellation Furyk & Friends on Friday in Jacksonville, Fla.
Durant, Bob Estes and Sweden’s Freddie Jacobson all enjoyed 6-under rounds and hold a one-shot edge over five men tied for second: Scott Parel, Paul Goydos, Tim Herron, Rocco Mediate and Jason Caron.
Durant and Estes were both four-time champs on the PGA Tour, but Durant has also won five times on the PGA Tour Champions, including last March at the Cologuard Classic.
He began his round at Timuquana Country Club on the back nine and birdied Nos. 12-16, which included two par-5 holes and one par-3.
“Just had a really nice stretch of holes where I hit some really nice iron shots. Two of the par-5s (I) basically had tap-ins,” Durant said.
“Finished nicely. Birdied No. 6 and 9 to finish the day which was good. I played really nice.”
Durant, 60, entered the week in 17th place in the Charles Schwab Cup standings and could leap into the top 10 with a victory.
“We’re all kind of jockeying for position,” Durant said. “Obviously the guys that are way ahead are kind of out of my range, but I would like to finish the year strong. Won early this year. I’d like to try to maybe pick another one off before the year is out.”
Unlike Durant, the 58-year-old Estes has yet to win on the PGA Tour Champions. That could change this weekend thanks to his hot start, with four of his seven birdies coming on his second nine (the front nine).
“I’m usually managing my game well,” Estes said. “My short game is usually pretty solid. I putted really well today. So I’ve been playing the game well for the most part ever since sometime in the spring. Yeah, just need to hit it a little bit better.”
As for Jacobson, the veteran of the PGA and European tours turned 50 on Sept. 26 and is making his first start on the 50-and-older circuit. He birdied his last hole, the par-4 ninth, to get to 6 under.
“You know what, it kind of feels like returning home again,” Jacobson said. “It’s been such a great few days, meeting everybody again. It’s been years since I’ve seen all the guys.
“It’s been a ton of fun, so, yeah, great catching up. The last couple of years I played on the main tour everything got very young. Most guys transferred over here, so, yeah, great to catch up with everybody.”
Defending champion Brett Quigley opened with a 3-under 69. The tournament’s namesake and host, Jim Furyk, is tied for 56th after a 1-over 73.
–Field Level Media
