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True Green Hubert Green hits 16 of 18 greens on his way to 63
Posted: Saturday May 06, 2000 07:30 PM
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (AP) -- Hubert Green set the Home Depot Invitational record with a 9-under 63 Saturday, charging from back in the pack to take a two-shot lead over defending champion Bruce Fleisher. Green took advantage of ideal conditions and true greens on the TPC Piper Glen course, carding 10 birdies and one bogey to break the record set by J.C. Snead in the final round in 1993. The 53-year-old Green, who won two majors on the PGA Tour, has an 11-under 133 total to breaks the tournament's 36-hole mark of 134 set by Bob Murphy in '95 and matched by DeWitt Weaver in '97. The 63 wasn't Green's best round of the season. He had a tour-low 62 in the final round of the Audi Senior Classic in mid-March for his first victory of the year. Green hit 16 of 18 greens and 12 of 14 fairways to also tie the course record of 63 set by Lee Trevino in the 1994 pro-am. Fleisher, the tour's leading money winner, started the day at 5 under and one shot off the lead. But he struggled on the front side before closing strong for a 68. Spain's Jose Maria Canizares and first-round leader David Lundstrom were at 8-under 134. Canizares had a 66, while Lundstrom followed up his 66 with a 70, saving par on the final hole with a 30-footer. Green started the day at 2-under and four shots behind Lundstrom, but birdied two of his first three holes and carded a 4-under 32 on the front side to move into contention. The back nine played easier in Friday's first round, and Green quickly took advantage. He netted birdies on Nos. 10, 12 and 13 before going to 10 under with another birdie on No. 16. He closed out his record-setting round with a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 18. Green, tied with Gil Morgan with the best scoring average (69.38) on tour, carded his 15th round in the 60s this season. Allen Doyle, playing in Green's group, made the first double-eagle this year and 19th in the tour's history, holing a 3-wood shot from 204 yards on the par-5 second hole to move into contention at 6 under. But Doyle parred out the front side and then dropped a shot at No. 10 and finished at 5 under and six shots back of Green after a 69. Meanwhile, Roy Vucinich 7-under 65 early in the day was his career best in his first full season on tour and moved him to 4 under heading into Sunday's final round.
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