The one thing you can rely on with the Champions Tour is that they’ll round up the usual suspects more often than not.
Former Masters champion Larry Mize is your first round leader at the Senior Players Championship after he shot 64 at the Caves Valley Golf Club outside Baltimore.
But guess who’s just a shot back?
Bernhard Langer?
Yeah, him again.
Langer was one of three players to shoot seven-under par to trail Mize by a shot.
Former U.S. Open champion Corey Pavin joined him, so did former Golf Channel analyst Steve Flesch.
John Daly visited the White House for a moment with President Trump earlier in the week and was fired up enough to shoot a two-under par 70.
CHARLES HOWELL III UNDETERRED BY PLAYOFF LOSS
Charles Howell III had a chance to win two weeks ago at the Quicken Loans National but a really lousy chip-shot on the first hole cost him dearly and let Kyle Stanley walk away with his first victory in five years.
Howell didn’t let that get him down and he bounced back Thursday with a first round 63 that earned him a share of the first round lead at the John Deere Classic.
He was tied at the top with rookie Ollie Schneiderjans, the only player on the PGA Tour who goes hatless.
The field is basically void of big-name players but two-time major champion Zach Johnson did his part with a 65 that put him right in the hunt.
Another name player did his part as well. Bubba Watson shot 69.
Time on the regular tour may be running out on Steve Stricker, who has been a fixture at the Deere. Stricker struggled, shot 73 and is tied for 111th and in danger of missing the cut after his good showing at the U.S. Open. He skipped the Senior Players to play at the TPC Deere Run this week.
