Brandt Jobe leads by one with 9 players within two

Courtesy of the PGA Champions Tour- Videos by Roy J. Akers

The Ally Challenge Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club | Grand Blanc, Michigan | September 14-16, 2018 First-Round Notes     Friday, September 14, 2018 Course Setup: Par 72 / 7,104 yards (R1 average: 70.579) Weather: Mostly sunny with a high in the upper 70s. Wind from the NNW at 4-8 mph. Media Contacts: Chris Richards (678-644-4258), Maureen Radzavicz (607-624-5200) Player To Par Scores 1. Brandt Jobe -7 35-30 – 65 T2. Esteban Toledo -6 33-33 – 66 T2. Jeff Maggert -6 33-33 – 66 T2. Vijay Singh -6 33-33 – 66 T5. Lee Janzen -5 33-34 – 67 T5. Tom Lehman -5 35-32 – 67 T5. Paul Broadhurst -5 33-34 – 67 T5. David Toms -5 34-33 – 67 T5. David McKenzie -5 34-33 – 67 Quick Links: Leaderboard Second-round tee times (Golf Channel coverage: 3-6 p.m. ET) PGATOURmedia.com (transcripts and other resources available for download) Brandt Jobe, 35-30 – 65 (-7) Starting on No. 10, Jobe birdied his first three holes of the day and eagled No. 16 en route to a 30 on his first nine. He closed with a 1-under 35 on the front nine to shoot 65, tied for his best first round on PGA TOUR Champions. This marks the first time Jobe is a first-round leader/co-leader on PGA TOUR Champions. Jobe has not played the last four tournaments due to a bruised rotator cuff. His last tournament was The Senior Open Championship at St. Andrews, where he finished T21. In five starts at the Buick Open, Jobe’s best finish was T29 in 2001. This season, he has four top-10s, including a third-place finish at the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship, and he is 21st in the Charles Schwab Cup. First-Round Lead Notes Five first-round leaders/co-leaders have gone on to win this year on PGA TOUR Champions: Jerry Kelly (Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai), Mark Calcavecchia (Boca Raton Championship), Bernhard Langer (Insperity Invitational), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Regions Tradition) and Scott Parel (Boeing Classic). Vijay Singh, 33-33 – 66 (-6)   Vijay Singh had five birdies on the back nine <<< Video Singh hit just 13/18 greens in regulation, but made up for it with the putter as he needed just 25 putts in his first-round 66. It was his best first-round score since he opened with a 66 at the 2017 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. Singh won the Buick Open three times (1997, 2004, 2005). If he goes on to win, it would be the 17th time a player has won a PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions event on the same golf course. The last player to accomplish the feat was John Cook at Pebble Beach (2014 PURE Insurance Championship, 1981 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am). In 42 rounds at the Buick Open, Singh carded 34 under-par rounds and amassed a 68.88 scoring average, best among the players in The Ally Challenge field. Singh is a three-time winner on PGA TOUR Champions, including wins this year at the Toshiba Classic and Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship. He is currently No. 9 in the Charles Schwab Cup. Esteban Toledo, 33-33 – 66 (-6) Toledo’s 6-under 66 is tied for his best first round this season. In his last start, he opened with a 4-under 66 at the Shaw Charity Classic en route to a season-best eighth-place finish. In seven starts at the Buick Open, Toledo posted two top-10s and his best finish was T2 in 2002. A four-time winner on PGA TOUR Champions, Toledo has five top-25                                                            Estaban Toledo likes his his first round <<< Video finishes this season and is currently No. 49 in the Charles Schwab Cup. Jeff Maggert, 33-33 – 66 (-6) Maggert was 1-over through four holes after a double bogey on No. 4. He rebounded with birdies on Nos. 5-7, as well as eagles on the 310-yard 14th and the par-5 16th. He also made a pair of eagles during this year’s Chubb Classic; it was part of a second-round 65 and he went on to finish T13. In 14 starts at the Buick Open, Maggert posted two top-10s with his best being a T6 in 2000. A five-time winner on PGA TOUR Champions, Maggert has five top-10s this season, including runner-up finishes at the Insperity Invitational and the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship. He is coming off a T13 finish at the Shaw Charity Classic and is currently 15th in the Charles Schwab Cup. Fred Couples tries to get rid of the rust <<< Video Other Notes Paul Broadhurst is one of eight players in the field that did not play the Buick Open, and he is T5 after opening with a 5-under 67. Broadhurst is one of four players with multiple wins this season and he is No. 8 in the Charles Schwab Cup. David Toms was one of four players to card bogey-free rounds on Friday, and he is T5 at 5-under 67. He won the U.S. Senior Open, his first win on PGA TOUR Champions, and he is No. 5 in the Charles Schwab Cup. Lee Janzen and Tom Lehman are part of the five-way tie for fifth at 5-under. Janzen made 13 starts at the Buick Open (Best: T15, 1991) and Lehman made 10 (Best: T2, 1999). Paul Claxton earned entry as one of four Open Qualifiers and he is T10 after a first-round 68. This is the third time Claxton has qualified this season (T36/Cologuard Classic, T38/Rapiscan Systems Classic). Mark O’Meara, an Ally brand ambassador, is T40 after a first-round 71. The field includes 10 players who won the Buick Open when it was played at Warwick Hills. Vijay Singh – T2 (-6/66) Fred Couples – T16 (-3/69) Billy Mayfair – T16 (-3/69) Rocco Mediate – T24 (-2/70) Kenny Perry – T24 (-2/70) Woody Austin – T49 (E/72) Scott Verplank – T49 (E/72) Dan Forsman – T64 (+1/73) Larry Mize – 73rd (+3/75) Tom Pernice Jr. – 74th (+4/76) Bart Bryant (wrist) and John Daly (neck/shoulder) withdrew during the first round.

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