Roberts drops long bomb for Commerce lead
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. -- Few guys can grin as sheepishly at Loren Roberts, but this one was really sheepish, even by his standards. It was about that putt on the 18th Friday, first round of the Commerce Bank Championship. The ball just rolled and rolled and rolled.It did drop, eventually, and Roberts gave a huge smile and lifted his arms to the cheering gallery. Later, in an interview, came the grin.
“About 45, 50 feet - I don't know,” Roberts said. “Naw, you're not trying to make those. You're just trying to get it close enough to tap it in.”
The birdie gave him a bogey-free 65, 6 under par 65 on the municipal Eisenhower Park Red Course. It also meant a one-shot lead. Not bad for a guy who was just tooling along through the first 14 holes. Then whoosh -- he birdied the 15th, 17th and 18th. A little more of the same over the next two rounds, and he just might have that first win of the year, and that eighth on the Champions Tour.
The birdie gave him a one-stroke lead over the surprise duo of the year. There - Gene Jones, former terror of the mini-tours, and Greg Hickman, the guy who was supposed to caddie for him in this tournament.
Both had to qualify to get in. This is Jones' 10th Champions tournament of the season, and with three top-10 finishes (no wins), he's finally making some money, $223,992. Hickman is a former PGA Tour player-turned caddie-turned Champions Tour player and caddie. He's been in two events, tied for 36th in a tour stop, missed the cut in the Senior PGA, and has made $4,100.
Hickman follows the tour, and if he can't qualify to play, he's looking to caddie, which is most of the time. And so it was that he approached his old pal, Jones, and asked if he could caddie for him this week, if he couldn't get into the field.
“He's one of the best caddies I've ever had,” Jones said, and so he was only too happy to say yes. And then they both shot 67 in the qualifier and made the field.
It was one of life's little ironies, then. Hickman had already finished Friday with his 66, and Jones, already with six birdies and two bogeys, had a 66 in his sights.
“I told myself coming down 18 that I'd like to birdie the hole and play with Greg tomorrow,” Jones said.
Jones stuck an 8-iron to 8 feet, made the birdie for his 66, and so will join Hickman and Roberts in the final grouping off No. 1 tee in the second round Saturday.
“I couldn't have written the script any better,” Jones said.
Said Hickman: “It will be great to play with him tomorrow.”
Hickman starting his bogey-free round from No. 10, made three quick birdies - a 30-foot putt at the 11th, two putts at the par-5 12th, and a 15-footer at the par-3 13th. This was unfamiliar country to him, but he added two more birds coming in for the 66, and on his mixed profession noted:
“I'm just trying to survive-week-to-week. I like caddieing, but I don't love it. Qualifiers are pretty tough. The guys used to be guys who worked for a living, and now they're ex-tour players.”
Roberts scattered his six birdies efficiently, and got the first two par-5s neatly, No. 3 pitching to 10 feet from just off the green, and No. 12 on two putts from the back fringe. That put him at 3-under and in a crowd on the leaderboard. Then he caught fire.
At the par-4 14th, he fired a 7-iron to 4 feet and holed that. At the par-5 17th, he flipped a wedge to a foot, and at the par-4 18th, he hit a 6-iron weakly, to about 50 feet and was trying to lag it up, but the ball dropped in. It was officially recorded as a putt of 42 feet, 5 inches.
“I've never been classified as a good ball-striker,” Roberts confessed. “I'm probably better now, but technology probably helped a little bit. On this tour, if you can still putt, you'll be competitive. A good putter is a match for anyone.”
Nick Price will agree. He faced the embarrassment of being the odd man out in front of the grandstand gallery at the 18th. First Roberts rolled in that bomb from 42 feet, 5 inches. Next John Cook holed his from about 35 feet (for a 69). Price (68) had stiffed a brilliant approach.
How close? someone said.
“About like this,” Price said, spreading his hands to about 4 feet.
How far did it look after those two guys holed theirs?
Price grinned. “About this long,” he said, trying to spread his hands to about a mile. “But I managed to wiggle it in.”
NOTES - Roberts is 5-for-9 on the Champions Tour with leading or co-leading after the first round … Only five of the previous 20 Commerce Bank Championships have been won by guys who led or shared the lead in the first round … Ron Streck is in a crowd at par-71 with a rare round - 18 straight pars … Ronnie Black, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, made his Champions debut with a par-71 … John Cook's 35-footer at the 18th was his 12th one-putt of the day; he had just 24 putts for the round.
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