Saturday, June 26, 2004
Tom Purtzer said he was looking forward to riding a cart on the senior tour.
CONCORD, Mass. (AP) -- Tom Purtzer used his position atop the leaderboard at the Bank of America Championship as a pulpit to campaign against a looming cart ban for the 50-and-over tour.
"I don't agree with the decision. It's disappointing," he said Friday after shooting a 7-under 65 to take the first round-lead at the Champions Tour event. "I'm just going to really, really have to play good in the 10 to 12 tournaments I'm going to play next year."
Purtzer won five times on the PGA Tour in a 26-year career, but after three hip operations and a back problem he was looking forward to being able to ride carts. But next year the senior tour is banning carts from all but a few tournaments.
Had struggled
"I struggled the last eight or nine years on the regular tour, just not being able to walk," he said. "I was thinking, 'Just hang in there until you're 50 and you can ride.' ... Now, all of a sudden, two years into what I'm doing, they said we're not going to let you take a cart."
Purtzer, who already skipped the Senior PGA Championship this year because he would have had to walk for four rounds, said he is hoping the tour reconsiders the new rule.
"I don't think people really mind the carts," Purtzer said. "They just want to see good golf shots."
Birdies
Friday, Purtzer got a head start on his goal to play well next season by picking up birdies on three straight holes on the front nine. He dropped to 4 under with another birdie on No. 7 before he bogeyed his way in, three-putting on 8 and hitting his third shot over the green on the par-5 9th.
Purtzer gained a stroke on No. 10 and then came in strong with birdies from Nos. 14-16 before improving to 7 under on the 18th, two-putting from 50 feet.
John Harris had a bogey-free round of 66, making birdie on No. 18 to move to 6 under and into second place on the 6,738-yard Nashawtuc Country Club course. Tom Kite, who was within a stroke of the lead here in 2001 before double-bogeying 17 when his tee shot hit an airborne bird, had 67 and was among four in third place at 5 under.
Rocky Thompson, Mike McCullough, and Walter Hall also shot 67s.
Dana Quigley, using a generic putter he practiced with on Thursday afternoon, shot a 68 with nine birdies and five bogeys to join a nine-way tie four strokes off the lead.
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