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Chalmers, Klauk share lead at Brown Deer Park
Gary Porter
Gary Porter/MJS
Milwaukee, WI - Greg Chalmers and Jeff Klauk both shot rounds of six-under 64 to share the first-round lead Thursday at U.S. Bank Championship.
Jason Gore, Skip Kendall, Tag Ridings and Frank Lickliter II are tied for third place at four-under 66, while 10 players share seventh at 67.
With most of the world's top players in Scotland this week for the British Open, it was a pair of Nationwide Tour graduates who shared the lead over a watered-down field at Brown Deer Park.
Chalmers, whose only top-20 finish this year was a fourth-place tie in Puerto Rico, began his round with back-to-back bogeys after hitting into the rough on his first two tee shots.
After the slow start, he rattled of eight birdies the rest of the way, including five during a six-hole span between the fourth and ninth holes and three in a row to end the round.
The 35-year-old Australian rolled in an 11-foot putt on the 18th hole for his final birdie, taking the clubhouse lead.
Chalmers made a handful of long putts during the round, including one from 60 feet and another from 30. Those bombs came on back-to-back holes.
"Even the putts that missed were pretty good. So that's the way I like to see the ball rolling," said Chalmers, who owns two Nationwide Tour wins. He finished eighth on the developmental circuit's 2008 money list to earn his PGA Tour card for this season.
Klauk, 31, who is also a two-time Nationwide Tour winner, placed third on the '08 money list for his tour card.
Playing a few groups behind Chalmers, Klauk made five birdies on the front nine Thursday. He bogeyed the par-four 12th, but made back-to-back birdies at the 13th and 14th to reach six-under.
With a chance to pass Chalmers and take sole possession of the lead, he finished his round with four consecutive pars. He saved par at the 18th -- and preserved his first-place tie -- by rolling in a 13-foot putt.
On a windy day like Thursday, hitting the ball straight and putting well are the keys to scoring, Klauk said.
"I was able to do that," he said.
The co-leaders, both seeking their first PGA Tour wins, have a little bit of history on their side. Ten players have captured their maiden tour victories at this event, including the last two: Joe Ogilvie and Richard S. Johnson.
Ogilvie, Bo Van Pelt, Mark Hensby, Jeff Quinney, Joe Durant, Chris Riley, Stephen Leaney, Kirk Triplett, Tommy Gainey and Matthew Borchert are the players knotted at 67.
Brett Quigley, who turned down a spot in the British Open field, leads a group of 12 players tie at 68.
