By his own admission, Ronnie Black has had a “middle-of-the-road career.” But no golfer received louder cheers during the first round of the Tucson Conquistadores Classic on Friday than Black.
That’s because Black is from down the road. He runs the San Ignacio Golf Club in Green Valley and used to be the director of instruction at Omni Tucson National Resort, the site of the tournament.
Raucous chants of “Ronnie!” emanated from the crowd during Black’s round of 1-under 71, which left him six shots behind leader Woody Austin.
“It was fantastic,” Black said.
Black wasn’t thrilled with his score — he was 3 under before bogeying the 17th and 18th holes — but he was happy to be back on tour.
Friday marked Black’s first appearance in a PGA Tour Champions event since September 2014.
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He suffered a herniated disc in his neck while lifting golf-cart ramps in November of that year and lost his exempt status. He got into the Tucson Conquistadores Classic through a sponsors’ exemption.
Black has lost about 15 yards off the tee since the neck injury. He also had surgery on his left wrist a few years ago.
Despite the injuries and the rust, Black played admirably.
He shot a better round than more-accomplished playing partners Scott Hoch (72) and Craig Parry (77).
“Finishing with two bogeys left a bad taste in my mouth,” Black said.
“Through 16 holes, I played really nicely. I wasn’t real comfortable with my swing, but I managed it well.
“I’m very disappointed with 71. I shouldn’t have done any worse than a 68 today.”
Black’s brother James, who’s the head pro at San Ignacio, served as his caddy.
Black’s son Anthony, among others, watched from beyond the ropes.
Par for Pooley
Heading into the tournament, Tucsonan Don Pooley had been shooting right around even par.
“And that’s what I shot, unfortunately,” Pooley said after his opening-round 72. “It could have been a better round, actually.
“I didn’t make as many putts as I’ve been making. I kept it in play pretty well, except for that last hole.”
Pooley hit his tee shot into the water on No. 9, his finishing hole, and made bogey, taking him out of red figures.
Pooley, 64, hasn’t been able to play or practice much because of a bad back that hurts him “every step of the way.”
“Walking hurts,” he said. “Swinging hurts more.”
Pooley takes anti-inflammatories and had an ice pack in hand as he exited the scoring area behind the ninth green.
Chip shots
* Hale Irwin shot better than his age for the 14th time on the Champions Tour. Irwin, 70, shot a 3-under 69. …
* Bernhard Langer, who also shot 69, has gone 141 consecutive holes without a 3-putt.
* The notoriously difficult 18th hole remained the hardest for the players to navigate. The average score on the par-4 was 4.262.
