Hot-Hitting Seniors Ignore Par at the Players Championship

Jerry McGee, Bob Charles and Bob Zimmerman shot four-under-par 68s in the Senior Players Championship on Thursday, and almost half the 78-man field shot par or better in the opening round.

Dave Stockton, who has won this event two of the last three years, predicted low scoring at the year’s final senior major, and he was one of seven players one stroke off the lead.

The 6,876-yard TPC of Michigan, a Jack Nicklaus-designed course, is regarded as one of the toughest the seniors play.

Joining Stockton, who had a triple bogey, at 69 were Kermit Zarley, J.C. Snead, Tom Wargo, Raymond Floyd, Dave Eichelberger and Jay Sigel, who was six under after 13 holes before three consecutive bogeys in a row.

Rocky Thompson, Lee Trevino, Deane Beman, Jimmy Powell, Tom Weiskopf, Walt Zembriski and 1993 Players champion Jim Colbert were two strokes off the pace.

McGee had the lead at six under after his third birdie in a row on the par-three 15th. But he three-putted 16 and bogeyed 18 after his tee shot found a water hazard, dropping him into a tie for the lead.