Australia’s Cameron Percy seizes Senior PGA first-round lead

Cameron Percy didn’t get a full practice round before the Senior PGA Championship began, but he didn’t look as if he needed it during the opening round on Thursday at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.

The 51-year-old Australian fired a 5-under-par 67 to claim a one-shot lead over South Africa’s Keith Horne. Another South African, Ernie Els, is among a quartet sitting two shots back.

Playing near the end of the day, Percy started on the back nine and was 2 under par at the turn. He tapped in a 2-foot putt for eagle on the par-5 sixth hole and then birdied No. 8 to clamber over Horne to the top of the leaderboard.

“In the weather we had today, I’m pretty happy with a 5 under,” Percy said. “It was nasty out there for a while there. I thought they were going to blow the siren, but no, just keep going, and it was pretty tough. You had a lot of water on your ball and all that stuff, so it was really hard to judge.”

Percy, who never won on the PGA Tour and failed to make the cut in either of the majors in which he played, didn’t get to play a practice round at Congressional due to consistent rain on Wednesday. In any case, he wasn’t in great shape to practice after hurting his back on Sunday.

“The physio said don’t play Monday or Tuesday,” Percy said. “We’re all old now, so (my back) is pretty stiff. On Sunday, it was so wet and I slipped on a rock and made a mess of myself.”

Horne, 53, benefited from a late-round eagle to jump to the top of the leaderboard in the morning. Horne, who started on the back nine, eagled the par-4 eighth by dropping a 109-yard gap wedge 25 feet beyond the pin and spinning it back into the cup.

“I was begging for it to get close,” Horne said. “I didn’t want any short birdie putts. Yeah, I was just chuffed when it went in.”

Els won the 1997 U.S. Open at Congressional — one of his four major victories — so he feels at home. His 3-under-par effort ties him with Mario Tiziani, South Africa’s Darren Fichardt and England’s Simon Khan. Tiziani is the brother-in-law and agent of Champions Tour giant Steve Stricker.

“You know, this one feels more like a major,” Els said. “Last week they called (the Regions Tradition) a major, but it’s just a nice big Champions Tour event. But this one has got more of that feel. It’s got a golf course with history, and it’s got some prestige here. So this one feels good. It feels big. It’s a good feeling to have on this course.”

Stewart Cink, Fiji’s Vijay Singh and defending champion Richard Bland of England are among the 17 golfers who finished at 2 under on Thursday. Justin Leonard, South Africa’s Retief Goosen, Ireland’s Padraig Harrington and England’s Lee Westwood are among the group at 1 under.

–Field Level Media