Lohr Uses 11 Birdies to Shoot a 61 and Take First-Round Lead

Bob Lohr, a 10-year PGA Tour veteran with just one victory, offset a three-putt bogey with 11 birdies as he posted a 61 in the opening round of the Anheuser-Busch Classic at Williamsburg, Va.

There have only been two scores better than Lohr’s 10-under-par round.

“Just a great round,” Lohr said. “I’ve never made 11 birdies in a round before.”

Lohr’s score was one stroke lower than the previous best round of his career. He opened with a 10-under 62 on the way to winning the 1988 Walt Disney World Classic.

“I don’t think I’d even know how to pencil in a 61,” said Nike Tour regular John Wilson, whose 64 put him in a second-place tie with PGA Tour rookie Glen Day.

The only tour scores better than the 61 were the 59s of Al Geiberger at Memphis in 1977 and Chip Beck at Las Vegas in 1991 and nine rounds of 60, the latest by Davis Love III at Hawaii in January.