Flesch Leads After Late Surge

L.A. Times Archives

May 21, 1999 12 AM PT

<i> From Associated Press</i>

Steve Flesch didn’t need to walk across crunchy greens or feel the blast of wind through the trees to realize he had his work cut out for him.

One look at the leaderboard was all it took.

With no one better than three under par, Flesch birdied the last two holes in fading sunlight Thursday for a four-under 66 that gave him a one-stroke lead over Vijay Singh and Jeff Sluman after the first round of the MasterCard Colonial at Fort Worth.

“Teeing off at 2 p.m., it’s kind of hard not to notice what’s going out there,” Flesch said. “Last week, I was eight strokes back before I hit my first shot. This time I was only two strokes down, so I knew something was going on.”

Singh was carried along with renewed confidence in his putting, while Sluman chipped in twice for birdie in their rounds of 67.

Steve Elkington, playing for the first time since another bout with viral meningitis, was among those at 68 despite a bogey on the 17th hole.

The 66 by Flesch matched the highest score in relation to par by a first-round leader on the PGA Tour this year--the other four-under rounds were in the Phoenix Open and The Players Championship.

“That’s the hardest round of golf I’ve played this year,” Singh said.

It wasn’t difficult to see why. From the time Singh roped a three-wood into the first green for a 30-foot eagle until he finished under the long shadows of late afternoon, the wind gusted and swirled through Hogan’s Alley at Colonial Country Club.

Scott Hoch, who at one time stood six under, made bogeys on five of the last seven holes to finish at 69, along with Corey Pavin and Mark Calcavecchia.

Tom Lehman and Lee Janzen were among those at 71. Davis Love III, who had two double bogeys in a span of three holes, Phil Mickelson and Fred Couples were at 72.

Akiko Fukushima shot a six-under 64 to take a one-shot lead after the opening round of the inaugural LPGA Philips Invitational at Austin, Texas.

The 25-year-old native of Kanagawa, Japan, played the back nine first at Onion Creek Country Club, and started with a bogey. But she recovered with seven birdies, including five in her last nine holes, to take the lead from Dale Eggeling, who finished at 65 on the 6,101-yard course.

“I was able to drive well,” said Fukushima, ranked ninth on the tour in driving distance at 253.3 yards. “I was quite pleased. It was my best score here [in the U.S.] to date.”

Seven players, including Meg Mallon, the tour’s winner last week in Nashville, were tied for third at 66. The group included Laura Davies, Susie Redman and Jill McGill.

Six more women are one more stroke behind in the tournament honoring longtime golf teacher Harvey Penick.

Golf Notes

Jack Nicklaus, warming up for his first round of competitive golf in nearly a year, shot an even-par 72 in a pro-am at Avondale, Pa., four months after having his left hip replaced. Nicklaus will test his new hip today in the first round of the Senior PGA Bell Atlantic Classic. He had the operation in January, forcing him to miss his first Masters in 40 years. He last played in the U.S. Senior Open on July 26, 1998.

A federal judge at South Bend, Ind., denied a disabled golfer’s request to use a cart in a local qualifier for the U.S. Open, ruling it would fundamentally alter the nature of the tournament. In denying Ford Olinger’s request under the Americans with Disabilities Act, U.S. District Judge Robert Miller wrote in his ruling that athletic competition presents a different concern for the ADA than the workplace.

In Front

Leaders through Thursday (Complete scores, Page 15):

MASTERCARD COLONIAL--PAR 70

Steve Flesch 33-33--66 -4

Jeff Sluman 34-33--67 -3

Vijay Singh 35-32--67 -3

Franklin Langham 34-34--68 -2

Steve Elkington 34-34--68 -2

Fred Funk 34-34--68 -2

Billy Mayfair 32-36--68 -2

Tim Herron 34-34--68 -2

John Cook 33-35--68 -2