Miguel Angel Jimenez used an eagle to punctuate a 9-under-par 63 Friday, enough for a one-shot lead after one round at the Principal Charity Classic in Des Moines, Iowa.
An opening bogey at Wakonda Club didn’t throw the Spaniard off his game. After making up for it with a birdie at No. 3, he ran off six birdies in a row from Nos. 5-10.
He stuck his tee shot at the par-3 14th within a few feet of the pin to secure another birdie and, at the par-5 15th, he hit an excellent second shot to give himself around 6 feet for eagle.
“Missed the last three holes, three chances for birdie, trying to reach my age, 61,” Jimenez said, “but 9 under par’s very good though.”
Jimenez finished the day one better than Australian Cameron Percy. Jeff Schmid and Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn sit in third at 7-under 65 and another Australian, rookie Michael Wright, is alone in fifth at 6-under 66.
While Jimenez has 15 PGA Tour Champions victories to his credit, including two this year, the 51-year-old Percy is vying for his first. He holed out from just off the green for eagle at the short par-4 18th after missing the green long.
“I got a lucky break,” Percy said. “It stayed in the grandstand. Because (an official) said if it went over the grandstand and rolled on the first tee I could have been a hundred yards back in the fairway, but you get to drop the distance it was from the hole, so I got lucky there. It was just enough I was putting, so it turned out pretty good.”
Bjorn is also hunting for his first PGA Tour Champions title. Like Jimenez, he overcame an early bogey and put an eagle on the card at the par-5 fifth.
“Holed a nice putt on 5 for eagle, and took advantage of the (par) 5s today,” Bjorn said. “I think I played them in 5 under and that kind of sets you up for a nice day around here.”
–Field Level Media
