In what is hailed as a stamina-building event, Gary Kirwan got out to a strong start, posting a first-round 68 to lead the field by two strokes heading into Wednesday's Round 2.
The 72-hole event, being played the Indian Wells Golf Resort, is among the top senior events on the seasonal calendar.
Tom Studer, Mike Nixon and Douglas Pool are all knotted in a three-way tie for second place after firing respective 70s. There's a seven-way log jam of players with 71s, including Greg Mokler, Chris Maletis, Doug Potter, Tom Phillips, Ted Smith and Murphy Mitchell.
In the super senior division, Bob Lutz is two shots ahead of Dick Nordlund after firing a first-round 70. Nordlund is alone in second place, trailed by Karl Stewart (74), Tony Lehman (75) and Skip Snow and Gary Korprivika, who both shot 76.
The second round will begin Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. PT.
AmateurGolf.com Rankings
2011 season — official results & points
| Pos | Player | From | Scores | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doug Pool | NV | 70-74-71-71--286 | 1,000 |
| T2 | Ted Smith | IN | 71-73-74-71--289 | 700 |
| T2 | Chris Maletis | OR | 71-70-73-75--289 | 500 |
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