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Familiar faces Nelson in familiar spot at FleetBoston -- on top
CONCORD, Mass. (AP) -- They upped the purse, changed the date, made the greens a little faster and the rough a little thicker at the FleetBoston Classic to help the golfers prepare for next week's U.S. Senior Open in nearby Salem. They changed everything, it seems, except the name atop the leaderboard. Defending champion Larry Nelson shot a 7-under-par 65 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the $1.4 million FleetBoston Classic. Allen Doyle, who finished third last year, was one stroke back, and Jim Thorpe was tied with three others in third, two behind Nelson. "The same faces are up there," said Thorpe, the runner-up last year when Nelson had four birdies on the back nine -- including three of the last five holes -- to win by four strokes. Hale Irwin, Dave Eichelberger and Mike Hill also shot 67s on Friday, and Dick Mast was three strokes back with a 68 on the 6,777-yard Nashawtuc Country Club course. "Those are the kind of guys who are going to play well at any course. Those names, you can predict they are going to play well each week," Irwin said. "You can get a feeling for a golf course. Obviously, he [Nelson] has found a home here at Nashawtuc." Nelson's FleetBoston title last year was one of six he won in 2000 to finish first on the senior money list. But a herniated disc that first bothered him in the 1998 U.S. Senior Open has returned, causing him to withdraw from the NFL Classic after a round two weeks ago and sit out last week. "This hasn't been a very good month," said Nelson, who didn't hit a driver for 10 days to rest his back. "I decided to go out and not try to do anything heroic. I played not great, but I hit some good key shots when I had to. I hope this is something I can build on." Nelson sank a 15-foot putt on the first hole, chipped in from 30 feet on the par-5 fifth and knocked in a 9-footer on No. 9 to make the turn at 3 under. On the 10th and 11th, he drained a pair of 20-footers from the fringe; after a birdie from four feet on No. 15, he put a 7-iron 6 inches from the hole on the 17th to drop to 7 under. Usually held in August, the tournament moved up in the year to attract some of the names who were coming to Boston for next week's Senior Open at the Salem Country Club, about 30 miles away. At the request of the PGA Tour, Nashawtuc left the rough a little longer to replicate the conditions the players will face in the Open. Although the greens were expected to be faster, recent rains left them slower and manageable. "The course doesn't have as much of its teeth out, especially if it's soft," said Doyle, who birdied No. 18 to move into second place. Irwin had seven birdies to go with a pair of bogeys as he was 4 under after 10 holes before falling to 2 under with a scuffed wedge from 68 yards out on the 14th fairway. He then birdied three of the last four holes to redeem his round. Divots: Irwin has shot 16 of his 19 rounds at Nashawtuc in the 60s, and he has never shot over par. ... Arnold Palmer was 3 over at 75. ... Rain is forecast for the rest of the weekend. ... Eichelberger and Thorpe each eagled the 10th. Vincente Fernandez and J.C. Snead eagled No. 5.
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