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GOLF: PGA TOUR: Ruangkit leads chase at Champions Tour Q-school finals

/noticias.info/ By Phil Stambaugh
PGA TOUR staff

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -- Thailand’s Boonchu Ruangkit fired a 7-under-par 65 Wednesday to grab a two-stroke lead over Rod Spittle (Columbus, Ohio) after the first-round of the Champions Tour National Qualifying Tournament at TPC Eagle Trace.

Ruangkit, a five-time winner on the Asian Tour and runner-up on the 1995 Asian Tour Order of Merit, got off to a fast start with birdies on four of his first five holes and was one of only two players in the 91-man field who did not make a bogey on his round Wednesday. Mitchell Adams of Cary, N.C., shot a bogey-free 2-under 70.

Although temperatures were in the low 80s, gusting winds ranging from 10-20 mph throughout the day made scoring difficult. Just 16 players managed to break par and the field averaged 74.545 for the round.

Spittle, a successful open qualifier twice on the Champions Tour in 2006, also made seven birdies, but had bogeys at No. 9 and No. 18. Amateur Graham Banister of Raleigh, N.C., and Jerry Impellittiere of Palm City, Fla., share third after posting 68s. Impellittiere’s 4-under score was the low round in the afternoon wave.

“Today, I managed to have the right distance on every club and my putting was very good,” Ruangkit said through an interpreter after his round. “There was no wind during my practice round, but it was very windy when I got to the first tee this morning. I just happened to pick the right club on each shot into the greens.”

This is Ruangkit’s second trip through the Champions Tour’s qualifying process. He was an alternate at the regional stage last year in California and did not get the chance to play in the finals at the PGA of Southern California Golf Club. This year at the regional in Beaumont, Calif., Ruangkit easily advanced to the final stage after finishing tied for eighth.

Rick DeWitt of Arvada, Colo.,had the only eagle of the day, holing a shot from the fairway at the 396-yard, par-4 first hole, his 10th of the day, en route to a 1-under 71.

The field will be cut after two rounds to the low-70 scores and ties, plus any additional players who remain within 10 shots of the 30th position. At the end of 72 holes, the low-30 players and ties earn spots into open qualifiers at all co-sponsored events on the Champions Tour in 2007. notas_de_prensa_archivo