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Article
Updated 09/09/2005
Envirocare Utah Classic: Hoffman on top with 66
Lead is slim: The former UNLV star is one shot ahead of a group
of nine players at 67
By Jay Drew
The Salt Lake Tribune
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| Former
UNLV golfer Charley Hoffman got off to a quick start with
an eagle on the first hole. (Steve Griffin/The Salt Lake
Tribune) |
SANDY - His start was exhilarating and his finish excruciating
in Thursday's first round, but it is what happened in between that
has Charley Hoffman believing he can win the Envirocare Utah Classic
golf tournament.
"
I feel good about everything," said Hoffman, a former UNLV golfer
who stands out a little from most of the other 155 guys this week
because he has long blond hair and looks more like a surfer. "I'm
ready to [win a tournament] again."
So far, so good.
Playing in the morning when conditions were as close to perfect
as they can get - no wind, soft greens and overcast skies - Hoffman
shot a 6-under-par 66 as the Nationwide Tour event started at Willow
Creek Country Club.
If Hoffman feels like the world is chasing
him when
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Wil Collins of South Dakota
blasts out of a bunker on 12 on his way to a 69 at Willow Creek
(Steve Griffin/The Salt Lake Tribune) |
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he wakes up this morning, he should. Nine players are at 67, including
seven who played in the morning Thursday. Four others are at 68,
including Chris Couch, a two-time winner on the tour this year.
"
It's far from over," Hoffman said.
Mostly, the group at 5-under includes names even hardcore
golf fans probably have never heard of, although Greg Kraft did win a PGA Tour
event in 1993 and Garrett Willis won the PGA's Tucson Open in 2001.
The other seven are Dave Christensen, Nick Cassini, Jeremy Anderson,
Michael Clark II, Rich Barcelo, Jerry Smith and P.H. Horgan III.
See?
Smith and Horgan played in the afternoon, when the wind kicked
up, so the 41-year-old Smith was especially happy with his score. He
hit 16 of 18 greens, despite the wind rising up long about his
fourth hole.
Hoffman rolled in a 45-footer for eagle on his first hole - "definitely a
good way to start," he said - and could have gone even lower, but made
a bogey on 14 after finding tree trouble. Also, his 8-footer for birdie
on
No. 18 just lipped out. He also missed a short putt for birdie on No. 16.
Willow Creek's nines are reversed for the tournament, so the
traditional ninth hole is now the 18th. But there are still five par-5s, and
Hoffman
was 4under on them to take his first first-round lead since April in Greenville,
S.C. He ended up tied for second there after opening with a 64.
But lately, the San Diego native's game has not been good.
He told The
Tribune on Tuesday that he wasn't sure if it was smart to play this week,
given the fact that he had missed three straight cuts and had not played
well here in the past. He missed the cut at Willow Creek his only other visits
here, in 2000 and 2001.
"
I'm going to play every week from here on out, though," he said. "At No. 20
[on the money list] I'm too close to making the PGA Tour to not play every
week."
Of the players at 67, only Cassini played a bogey-free round.
Mathew Goggin (68), David Branshaw (68) and Doug Garwood (70) also went without
bogeys.
"
I felt like I was getting lapped there for a while," said Cassini, who was
in the same group as Anderson - Hoffman's former UNLV teammate - and saw Anderson
get off to a fast start with five birdies on his first 10 holes.
"
As far as scoring conditions, you couldn't have asked for anything better," Anderson
said. "It was almost like playing indoor golf."
Playing in the afternoon, Brent Schwarzrock got to 6 under
before making a quadruple bogey on No. 4 (13 for Willow Creek members). He
finished at
70.
Except for former Utah State golfers Todd Tanner (69) and
Brett Wayment and Utah Open champion Nick McKinlay (72) it was not a good day
for the 10 players
with Utah ties in the field. Those three are in decent shape to make the
cut, which will include the low 60 golfers, plus ties. The projected cut
is even-par 144, but a lot depends upon today's weather conditions.
drew@sltrib.com
Morning scores lower
* Former UNLV golfer Charley Hoffman leads after firing a
6-under-par 66 on Thursday.
* The best scores were posted in the morning, when winds were
calm and conditions were ideal.
* The best score among the 10 Utahns in the field was turned
in by Sandy's Todd Tanner, who shot a 67.
Article Courtesy of Salt Lake Tribute
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