Kevin Sutherland and Darren Clarke matched each other with bogey-free rounds of 7-under 65 to share the lead after the first day of the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai on Thursday in Ka’upulehu-Kona on the Big Island.
Corey Pavin and Ernie Els are in a group of five golfers one shot back. Defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez, Bernhard Langer and Michael Allen are tied for eighth at 5 under.
The 42-player field kicked off the 2023 season on the PGA Tour Champions in near-perfect conditions.
Sutherland birdied four straight holes beginning on No. 7 and finished with seven in his round.
“That’s a stretch of holes, 8 and 9 are tough, but (10 and 7) are holes that you can get, so you have to make a little bit of a run there,” Sutherland said. “I played really good today. Hit the ball really nice and I made some putts.”
Clarke made eagle on the par-5 10th hole and added birdies on Nos. 13 and 15 to earn a share of the lead for the fifth time on the PGA Tour Champions.
“I’m delighted to start my year off with that,” said Clarke, who won the event in 2020. “Obviously I like the golf course. Hopefully go out and have a couple of better rounds the next two days.”
Jimenez and Langer, who have both won the event three times, played in the same group. Jimenez finished with five birdies, an eagle on the par-5 fourth and two bogeys. Langer, who can tie Hale Irwin for the most victories all-time on the PGA Champions Tour with a win, made five birdies.
More than half of the field stayed within four shots of the lead as the lack of wind kept all but four players from shooting over par.
David Frost made his 300th start on the PGA Tour Champions and shot a 4-under 68 to sit in a tie for 11th place.
Steven Alker, the reigning PGA Tour Champions Player of the Year, opened with a 3-under 69 along with 2018 champion Jerry Kelly, who played the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club last week, and 2019 champion Tom Lehman.
