Oct 9, 2008 - 8:44 PM
0 shoutsSAN ANTONIO (Ticker) -- Nathan Green's deadly accurate putting has him on track to record his first PGA Tour win.
Green registered nine birdies and carded a career best 8-under-par 62 on Thursday to grab the lead after the opening round of the $4.5 million Texas Open.
Green put himself in great position to earn his first Tour win by carding birdies on six of his first 10 holes. The 33-year-old Australian fired five consecutive birdies from Nos. 6-10.
"Just one of those rounds everything went right," Green said. "Two months where I felt I couldn't do anything right, so the last month felt a lot better.
"I made a good run from about six on and made a good 10-footer on six and just hit it close."
Green, whose best finish on the Tour this season was third at the Honda Classic, recorded consecutive birdies on the par-3 No. 13 and par-5 No. 14.
"Just one of those days I got the speed (of the greens) early, and I didn't have a great deal of work," he said. "I had a couple of easy birdies but I didn't have to work too hard. Just made some every now and again it felt like I hit some good putts that kept the confidence going and kept me on the run."
Green added a birdie on No. 16 before his lone misstep came when he bogeyed the par-3 17th.
But Green capped the day by paring the final hole and holds a two-stroke lead over Olin Browne and Paul Claxton (64). Starting on the back nine, Browne played a flawless round and finished with six birdies.
"This course is right up my alley," said Browne, who tied for second in the 2005 tournament. "I hit every green and only had one shaky putt.
"Like I said, I like this golf course. It fits my eye and I'm happy to get to the start that I did."
Claxton also played a error-free round and birdied his final two holes to move into a tie for second.
Meanwhile, Greg Kraft is among six players tied for fourth. The 44-year-old finished the day with consecutive birdies on Nos. 16, 17 and 18 to join Patrick Sheehan, Jason Gore, Nick O'Hern, Tim Herron and Chad Collins at 65.
"If you hit solid putts, you got the ball rolling, you had a good chance to make plenty (of birdies)," said O'Hern, who recorded five birdies.
One of the oldest stops on the PGA Tour, the Texas Open is the third of seven Fall Series events on the schedule. The event will move to a spring date next season and be a part of a three-event tour through the Lone Star state.
Defending champion Justin Leonard is among a slew of players tied for 71st at even-par 70. A Texas native, Leonard defeated Jesper Parnevik on the third hole of a playoff here in 2007.
"I hit the ball pretty well off the tee, but didn't make any putts," Leonard said. "The greens weren't as good as they have been, but they were good enough to make putts."
First prize is $810,000.
