Golf roundup
Travelin’ man Sullivan seizes share of Allianz Championship lead POLK CITY, Iowa (AP) – When Mike Sullivan talks about taking his golf game on the road, he means it.
Sullivan travels between tournaments on the Champions Tour in a 37-foot motorhome, complete with DVD player, surround sound and a kitchen that allows him to pursue one of his favorite activities – cooking.
“It’s just kind of a fun way to go,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan also had some fun on the golf course Friday, shooting a 6-under-par 65 to share the first-round lead with Tom Jenkins in the Allianz Championship.
A rookie on the senior circuit, Sullivan played a bogey-free round in warm, windy conditions and needed only one long shot for any of his six birdies – a 25-foot chip just off the fringe on No. 8. It was a rare strong opening round for Sullivan, who usually plays his best golf on the final day of a tournament.
“My caddy said to me as I walked off the last green today, ‘You must have woken up and thought it was Sunday,”‘ Sullivan said with a smile. “I’ve had the low score of the day on Sunday two times and I’ve had some other good scores, too. For whatever reason, I played well today.”
Jenkins, second in this event last year, continued a solid stretch of play that has produced four top-5 finishes in his last five tournaments. A curving 25-foot putt for an eagle on No. 4 highlighted his round, which included just one bogey.
ShopRite LPGA Classic
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. – Playing through a driving rain, Juli Inkster shot a 6-under 65 to take the opening-round lead at the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
The 44-year-old Inkster, who hasn’t won on tour in two years, chipped in twice and posted six birdies and an eagle to surge past Annika Sorenstam, who was two shots back after an opening 67. Mi Hyun Kim was in third, at 2 under.
With temperatures in the low 60s, steady rain and wind up to 15 mph blowing in off the ocean, the greens of the Seaview Marriott Resort course were uncharacteristically fast.
Defending champion Cristie Kerr and 18-year-old rookie Paula Creamer, who finished second to Kerr last year, each shot 74. Coming off a victory two weeks ago at the Sybase Classic, Creamer struggled with her putter, missing at least six birdie opportunities.
Wales Open
NEWPORT, Wales – Italy’s Alessandro Tadini, who missed 10 of 15 cuts this year, shot a 7-under-par 62 for a two-shot lead over England’s David Lynn at the Wales Open.
Tadini was at 11-under 127 after two rounds on the short Roman Road course at Celtic Manor.
Lynn, playing later when the wind picked up, carded a 66 for 129 and Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez was at 130 after a 67.
Colin Montgomerie shot a 75 that left him at 8-over 146, missing the cut for the first time this year.