Will MacKenzie would be a natural for the X Games. Now he’s out to prove there’s room for a kayaking, snowboarding surfer in the sometimes stuffy world of golf.
MacKenzie shot an 8-under-par 64 on Thursday to take a one-shot lead over Lucas Glover, Steve Marino, Brian Davis and Jeff Overton after the first round of the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C.
MacKenzie, who spent a more than a decade away from the sport, nearly made a hole-in-one and had nine birdies to offset one bogey in taking an encouraging first step toward the second victory of his career.
“People might think that since I quit golf for a while and lived the life of an outdoor enthusiast that, you know, I break the mold, and I’m sure I do,” MacKenzie said. “I want my peers to respect me as a golfer, and I think most of them do, but (I) also like to cheer them up a little bit and do silly things like stand on my head from time to time because that’s what I like to do.”
Seven players – Carl Pettersson, John Merrick, Todd Hamilton, Todd Fischer, Greg Kraft, John Huston and 2003 winner Shigeki Maruyama – were two strokes back on a steamy day at the 7,333-yard Forest Oaks Country Club course where temperatures were high and scores were consistently low. After the opening round, 79 players – or, more than half of the field of 156 – were 3-under or better.
Champions Tour: Mike Reid and Mark McNulty shot 6-under 66s to share the first-round lead in The Tradition, the tour’s fourth major of the year.
David Edwards was a stroke back, and Tom Watson, Ben Crenshaw and Bruce Summerhays shot 68s at the Crosswater Golf Club in the high desert of central Oregon.
Reid’s 66 was his lowest score since March.
“It’s just been a flat period in my game. I don’t have an explanation for it. I’ve been feeling good,” said Reid, a former athlete at Cherry Creek High School.
LPGA: Laura Diaz shot a bogey-free 6-under 65 to take the first-round lead in the Canadian Women’s Open in Edmonton, Alberta, while 17-year-old Michelle Wie opened with a 75 to drop 10 strokes back.
Wie, making her first appearance in the event, closed her round with a double bogey on the par-4 ninth. She also had a double bogey 6 on No. 12, a bogey on the par-5 third and a birdie on the par-4 first.
“It’s a very frustrating round because I felt like I was driving good and I had two bad holes,” Wie said.
Kelli Kuehne and Kyeong Bae opened with 66s, 2005 winner Meena Lee topped a group at 67, and Paula Creamer and Juli Inkster shot 68s. Defending champion Cristie Kerr had a 69.
PGA European Tour: Scott Strange, who found out he was playing 45 minutes before tee time, shot a 6-under 64 to take the lead after the first round of the Scandinavian Masters in Stockholm, Sweden.
Strange, the first alternate, replaced David Drysdale, who pulled out with a neck injury.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this before, and I’ll remember it for the rest of my life,” said Strange, who had seven birdies and one bogey.
Fredrik Qvicker and Sam Walker were one shot behind.
