Pride aces his way into first-round lead
HAYWARD, Calif. – Hall of Fame football star Jerry Rice grabbed the spotlight by just teeing it up in Thursday’s opening round of the Fresh Express Classic, but veteran Dicky Pride let his game do the talking as he took the first-day lead in the Nationwide Tour’s $600,000 event at TPC Stonebrae.Rice is serving as Tournament host this week and also received a sponsor’s exemption in the Tournament, which has drawn expanded national coverage because of his Tour debut. The former San Francisco 49er stumbled out of the gate with a double-bogey on his first hole and never recovered en route to a 12-over-par 83.
“I feel like the wheels came completely off Thursday,” said Rice, who managed only one birdie. “I could not get the speed of the greens. I don’t think I struck a solid putt Thursday at all. Hopefully I can come back tomorrow and have a little redemption.”
Pride, meantime, put together a bogey-free, 8-under 63 to take a one-shot lead over Canadian David Hearn, Australian Aron Price, Miguel Carballo of Argentina, Texan Colt Knost and former Southern Cal All-America Jamie Lovemark. Carballo, Knost and Lovemark played together Thursday, posting an aggregate score of 21-under par.
Scores were much lower this time around, compared to a year ago when the first round proved to be the toughest single round on Tour. Last year only 17 players bettered the par of 71 and only two were below 68 on day one. This time around, with conditions softened by early week rains, a total of 70 players bettered par and 27 shot scores below 68.
The best of the bunch was Pride, a 40-year old from Alabama who made it a point prior to the start of the day to make an attitude adjustment.
“I set my attitude before I played that this is the way I’m going to think and how I’m going to feel and I’m going to be happy and I’m going to have fun and I’m going to laugh,” said the normally happy-go-lucky veteran. “In theory I try to do that but I’ve been getting on myself because I’ve been working really hard and haven’t been getting the results I want.”
Frustrations have caused Pride to break par only once in eight rounds this year. He tied for 53rdat the Panama CLARO Championship but has missed the cut in his last two starts.
“I’ve been waiting for this for a while,” he said. “I know I was playing well, that was the frustrating part. I’ve been hitting it better and rolling it better but not getting the results.”
The results came Thursday for Pride, who was one stroke off his career-best. The highlight of the day came on his fourth hole when he knocked in an 8-iron from 150 yards for a hole-in-one.
“The ball landed in the fringe, kicked left about 12 feet and went in the hole,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ll take it. It worked out great.”
Pride followed up with two birdies on the par-5s before making the turn at 5-under. After a 12-foot, par-saving putt at No. 13, he rolled in three consecutive birdies to get to minus 8.
“It was nice to have the day I had but it was especially nice because I predetermined by attitude,” he said. “The fact that I shot 8-under doesn’t always happen but I gave myself my best shot to play well. The challenge is going to be tomorrow. Can you go back out and do the same thing if you get a bad break here or there or you don’t make that par-saving putt?”
First-Round Notes:
* NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice got off to a less-than-stellar start in his Nationwide Tour debut. Rice, 47, pulled his tee shot to the left and into some high grass, where his ball settled into a gopher hole. He received a free drop but could only wedge his ball back into the fairway. His third shot on the 396-yard, 10thhole came up 30 feet short of the pin. The former San Francisco 49er great left his first putt about five feet short and then missed his attempt for bogey, settling for a double-bogey to begin the day. Rice finished the day with one birdie, eight pars, five bogeys and four double-bogeys. He will tee off at 9:00 a.m. Friday.
* David Hearn was perfect on the day, hitting 13 of 13 fairways and all 18 greens in regulation.
* Miguel Carballo reeled off seven consecutive birdies from Nos. 2-8 Thursday.
* Leader Dicky Pride played the five par-3’s in 4-under Thursday…with an ace, two birdies and two pars.
* Colt Knost and Rob Oppenheim both had five consecutive birdies from Nos. 3-7.
* Bogey-free rounds were posted by Dicky Pride (63), David Hearn (64) and Aron Price (64).
* Patrick Sheehan opened his round with a double-bogey, two bogeys and a quadruple bogey and was 8-over afeter four holes. He played his next 14 holes with six birdies and eight pars and shot a 2-over 73.
* Alistair Presnell played the four par-5s in 5-under par with an eagle and three birdies. He shot a 4-under 67.
* Brad Adamonis withdrew during the round due to an injury to his hand.
* Brian Bateman (85) withdrew after the round.
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