KA‘UPULEHU, Hawaii >> Jerry Kelly let everyone in on a little secret after he drew even with Gene Sauers for the first-round lead at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.
Thursday’s opening round of the PGA Tour Champions season wasn’t his first time around the Jack Nicklaus-designed course at the Four Seasons Resort.
“This is my first tournament round here, but I’ve played many rounds here,” Kelly said, then gave a wry smile. “This is where I prepare for the Sony. I’ve been coming here for years and it still didn’t help me get in the tournament (here) last year. I had to fight my way in here and it felt good to do that. I’ve played here a lot.”
Kelly began his 2018 campaign at the Sony Open in Hawaii, where he finished tied for 14th. He had all four rounds in the 60s, which is a must at Waialae to be in contention.
“Last week helped a lot just to prepare,” Kelly said. “I played really well last week. If I would have putted like I did today, I would have won easy. If ifs and ands were pots and pans the world would be a kitchen. So I took that into this week. Switched back to my old putter and had a good day on the greens. I love the islands. I have fun over here every single time and this is where I come to prepare for the season.”
He and Sauers posted the only 8-under 64 rounds of the afternoon, but they still have plenty of company.
Rocco Mediate went out early and showed everyone the way with a 7-under 65. About 90 minutes later Colin Montgomerie joined him to enter today’s second round tied for third, just one shot off the pace.
Three-time runner-up at Hualalai Fred Couples, Charles Schwab Cup champion Kevin Sutherland and Kirk Triplett are also in the hunt at 6-under 66. In all, a dozen golfers are within three shots of the lead.
The strong trades that plagued the two pro-am rounds earlier this week took a holiday and the scores reflected it. Among the 44 golfers in this elite winners-only field, there were 28 players in the 60s and 32 under par. The old guys managed four eagles and 209 birdies on this relatively calm afternoon on the Big Island.
Sauers produced one of three bogey-free rounds to begin today in the final pairing. Unlike Kelly, who was named the rookie of the year Tuesday night, this is only Sauers’ second trip here. Last year he opened with a 65 and moved into a tie for fourth in the final round before the wind got so bad they canceled the final 18 and awarded second-round leader Bernhard Langer the trophy.
Langer got off to a somewhat slow start en route to shooting a 3-under 69. He will have to go way low the next two days to have any shot of winning this event on a course that was rated the easiest on the Champions Tour last year. He trails Kelly and Sauers by five.
“I gave myself a lot of opportunities and the putter worked, so I’ll take a 64,” Sauers said. “You’ve just got to stay cool and calm and try to do the best you can, try to keep that ball low and do whatever you can. All these guys are great. You’ve just got to keep putting that hammer down. You know they’re going to be right there chasing you at the end.”
Mediate had everyone chasing him after going to 6 under after 10 holes en route to being the early clubhouse leader. He predicted that wouldn’t hold up and he was correct. Mediate, who chomped on a cigar for most of the round, carded four birdies on the front to make the turn at 4 under. He eagled the 10th to fall to 6 under before bogeying the 11th. He came home in 2 under to fall just one shot off the pace.
“Yeah, it was fun, we had a good group,” Mediate said. “I’ve had some good weeks here. I’ve always liked this place. We were expecting way more wind. The golf course is built for wind, but it was good.”
