Parnevik fires career-best 61 to lead Texas Open
Jesper Parnevik recovered with a vengeance on Thursday, rebounding from an opening bogey to shoot a career-best 61 in the first round of the Texas Open.
The Swede's nine-under effort at LaCantera Golf Course gave him a four-shot lead over a group of 10 players in the 4.5 million-dollar event.
Starting on the back nine, Parnevik bogeyed the 10th but wasted no time bouncing back. He birdied 11 and added five more on his outward run, including one at 16 that started a run of four in a row.
Looking for his first PGA Tour victory since the 2001 Honda Classic, Parnevik closed his round with back-to-back birdies to pad his lead.
At 138th on the money list, Parnevik has some work to do to get into the top 125 and keep his US Tour card for next season.
He tied for 17th last week at the Viking Classic in one of his best performances of the season - and he continued his strong play Thursday.
"I putted well all day. I hit two great shots into 10. Came up short. Didn't get it up and down. Started with a bogey," Parnevik said. "But normally that's when the panic sets in a little bit, and you think you're going to have a really (lousy) day. I felt good about the game, good about the putter. I made birdie on the next hole. That was it."
Robert Gamez, Justin Leonard, Mathias Gronberg, Bob Tway, Matt Hendrix, Neal Lancaster, Shigeki Maruyama, Daniel Chopra, Richard S. Johnson and Dan Forsman were tied for second at five-under 65.
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The Swede's nine-under effort at LaCantera Golf Course gave him a four-shot lead over a group of 10 players in the 4.5 million-dollar event.
Starting on the back nine, Parnevik bogeyed the 10th but wasted no time bouncing back. He birdied 11 and added five more on his outward run, including one at 16 that started a run of four in a row.
Looking for his first PGA Tour victory since the 2001 Honda Classic, Parnevik closed his round with back-to-back birdies to pad his lead.
At 138th on the money list, Parnevik has some work to do to get into the top 125 and keep his US Tour card for next season.
He tied for 17th last week at the Viking Classic in one of his best performances of the season - and he continued his strong play Thursday.
"I putted well all day. I hit two great shots into 10. Came up short. Didn't get it up and down. Started with a bogey," Parnevik said. "But normally that's when the panic sets in a little bit, and you think you're going to have a really (lousy) day. I felt good about the game, good about the putter. I made birdie on the next hole. That was it."
Robert Gamez, Justin Leonard, Mathias Gronberg, Bob Tway, Matt Hendrix, Neal Lancaster, Shigeki Maruyama, Daniel Chopra, Richard S. Johnson and Dan Forsman were tied for second at five-under 65.
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