Cbssports.com

Kent Jones & Michael Letzig Top Leaderboard

Kent Jones (Photo by Marc Feldman/Getty Images) kent jones recovered from a tee tot in the rough to birdie the 18th hole thursday for a 7-below 65, giving him a share of the lead with rookie michael letzig in the first round of the ginn sur mer classic.they had a two-photograph margin over ryan palmer, who birdied three of his premier five holes and eased his way to a 67.jones and letzig played college golf at contemporary mexico a decade apart, but that’s where the similarities end.letzig, who had never played a pga tour event in his life until earning his likely last year through the nationwide tour, is 109th on the money slant and is in good model to stand up his pain in the arse for next year.jones has spent most of his 10-year hurtle around the 125th spot on the money list?the cutoff someone is concerned keeping his card?and he arrived at the ginn ocean hammock repair to at no. 179.he hacked out of waist-high original grass with a 5-iron into a fairway bunker on the par-5 18th hole, then hit 6-iron adventure movies into 6 feet for an unlikely birdie that gave him a share of the lead.”that was my best round of the year, but that’s not saying much,” jones said. “i played deeply solid. to some reason, i seem to carouse better in the fall. i would like to play preferably earlier in the year and not put this intimidate on myself, but i can’t think nearby that.”letzig, who has no such worries, made six of his birdies from slim 20 feet and matched jones with a bogey-free round.”it was all putting,” letzig said. “i pretty much secured my card last week, so there’s no pressure. it’s been a lot of accentuate all year, with a lot of middle-of-the-field finishes but the pressure is off and i’m kind of keeping relaxed out there.”cameron beckman, who won in arizona last week to earn a two-year impunity on walk, kept right on rolling with birdies on two of his last three holes for the sake a 4-under 68 to join a group that included james driscoll, tom scherrer and robert allenby, who at no. 30 in the world is the highest-ranked sportswoman at the ginn sur mer classic.vaughn taylor, at no. 129 on the money list, was in a group at 69.jeff overton, playing only a week after an pinch appendectomy because he has fallen to no. 126 on the money list, got off to a pronounced start before he settled for a 71.driscoll had his own medical issues, playing the last eight holes with a split in his thumb after a tee split when he was using it to repair a pitch mark on the 11th green.a sliver of the tee impaled itself in his thumb, but he removed it and made a 20-foot birdie putt while still dripping blood. he bandaged the wound and kept flourishing, closing with seven pars while missing only one green and no fairways.”these greens are fatiguing,” he said. “it was nasty. but i taped it up, and it was fine.”defending champion daniel chopra, who won last year in south florida, had two double bogeys for an 81. he wasn’t the single complete to had a tough broad daylight on the conservatory course. davis love iii, coming off eight consecutive rounds in the 60s, had a 75.patrick sheehan, holding down the 125th spot on the money list, opened with a 74.