|
Triplett, though, has company near the top as
2011 Senior Open champion Olin Browne Jr. shot a 63 and Doug
Garwood carded a 64. Kenny Perry, Duffy Waldorf, Paul Goydos,
Tom Lehman, Jerry Smith and England's Barry Lane are tied at 65.
Waldorf aced the 149-yard third hole.
"Even though there's some red numbers on the board, if you got
overly aggressive and you missed on the wrong side, you were
cooked," Browne said. "The greens were receptive and the wind
was down today, so the ball was going where we started it. But
if you didn't hit good shots, you're going to pay a real penalty
out here."
Germany's Bernhard Langer, who won the season's first two
majors, is in a nine-way tie for 13th at 67.
Triplett started his round at No. 10 and was 4 under at the
turn. His round was highlighted when he holed out with a 9-iron
from 120 yards on the par-4, 341-yard fourth hole.
"Today I just got some momentum," Triplett said. "At one point
during the round, I said, 'OK, this is your day. Grab it. Go.'"
Triplett, 55, who is trying for his sixth Champions victory,
birdied four of his first six holes. His chance for a 61 was
denied when he missed a 10-footer for birdie at No. 9.
"It's Thursday night, and there's a whole bunch of guys that are
really close," Triplett said. "So I'm more about the tournament
than about the individual-rounds accomplishment. I just feel
great to be in the thick of it."
Loren Roberts is the only other player to shoot 62 in the U.S.
Senior Open, accomplishing the feat in the third round in 2006
at Prairie Dunes in Kansas en route to tying for eighth.
Bruce Fleischer won the U.S. Senior Open at even par in 2001,
the last time the tournament was played at Salem CC.
-----------------------------------------------
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
