GOLF ROUNDUP Quigley keeps streak alive

The 'Iron Man' was in a second-place tie at the Senior Players Championship.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DEARBORN, Mich. -- Dana Quigley knew he was going to be a topic of conversation this week.
With his appearance in the Senior Players Championship on Thursday, Quigley has played in every one of the last 250 Champions Tour events he has been eligible for since 1997. He has played in 235 consecutive tournaments overall.
"It just psyches me up some more," he said.
The boost of energy helped the "Iron Man" of the Champions Tour shoot a 4-under 68, good for a second-place tie behind Gil Morgan.
Quigley said the closest he has come to missing an event the past eight years was in March at a tournament in Mexico. His troublesome elbow, which first was injured at the age of 14, almost ended his streak.
"I didn't really think I was going to be able to play, but I wanted to be there in case I could," Quigley said. "And you know, because this was 250 here, I'm pretty glad I did play to keep the streak alive."
For the second straight year, Morgan led after the opening round. He hopes to stay on top this time.
Morgan shot a 7-under 65, one shot short of his own first-round record. His three-stroke lead is the largest opening-round advantage in the 22-year history of the tournament, one of the Champions Tour's five majors.
Morgan started last year with a 64 -- matching the first-round mark set by Hale Irwin in 2002 -- but went on to tie for fifth. He followed his strong start with rounds of 73, 72 and 69.
"You'd like to think that your confidence is high and that you've got a chance to go forward, but you know, sometimes you back up," Morgan said. "How many times do you see 63-73, that type of deal on the scoreboard?"
Quigley was three strokes back along with 2001 champion Allen Doyle, Bruce Fleisher, Isao Aoki, Jose Maria Canizares and Mark James, Europe's captain in the 1999 Ryder Cup.
PGA Tour
SILVIS, Ill. -- Vaughn Taylor rolled in a 40-foot eagle putt and finally took a peek at the scoreboard with one hole to play. He found his name at the top.
It didn't stay there long.
Taylor hit a long drive on No. 18 and a solid approach within 20 feet of the hole. His birdie try was just short, leaving him a 2-footer for par and a share of the lead in the first round of the John Deere Classic.
Instead, his putt lipped out and he finished with a bogey.
"I thought I hit a good putt. I felt like I made a good stroke there, it just didn't go in," Vaughn said. "I didn't look at the board all day until the last hole. I didn't want to look and put any added pressure on myself."
So did he?
"I didn't feel any different. I felt fine. That wasn't the reason I three-putted," he said. "It was just one of those things."
Taylor had every reason to feel good about his round, even with the three-putt at No. 18. The tour rookie had a pair of eagles to finish at 8-under 63, one shot behind leader Jose Coceres.
Taylor's 63 was a career best, topping a 65 earlier this year en route to a fifth-place tie in the St. Jude Classic.
The 28-year-old Taylor, who played on the Nationwide Tour last year, eagled Nos. 2 and 17 and also had six birdies and two bogeys.
"Ever since the [St. Jude], I've been playing well and I feel good about my game," he said. "I'm getting more comfortable out here."
So is Coceres.
The Argentine, seeking his first PGA Tour victory since winning twice in 2001, birdied eight of his first 11 holes for a 62.
He made four birdie putts within 9 feet and rolled in another from 45 feet to make the turn at 6 under. After two more birdies, Coceres made a 36-foot birdie putt at the par-4 fourth in his bogey-free round at the TPC at Deere Run.