The ball was maybe halfway to the hole when Fred Couples raised his putter in the air. After it dropped into the cup for a birdie, Couples pointed at his caddie and gave him a knowing glance.
The fourth hole on the Catalina Course at Omni Tucson National Resort had derailed Couples the last time he played in the Tucson Conquistadores Classic, in 2015. Couples recalled shooting a 9 on the 170-yard par-3; it was actually a 7. Either way, it led to a second-round 75 that gave Couples no chance of competing.
Friday’s birdie was the first of four straight for Couples, who went on to shoot an 8-under 65 to claim a one-stroke lead over Tom Lehman and Jeff Maggert through the first round.
Aside from a three-putt on No. 18, resulting in a bogey, Couples rolled the ball beautifully on a sunny, unseasonably warm afternoon.
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“I’ve been putting incredibly well for me,” said Couples, who entered this week leading the PGA Tour Champions in earnings for 2017. “You can’t three-putt very often, I can tell you that much, or your scores won’t be that good.”
The three-putt on 18 was the only blip on Couples’ scorecard, which featured nine birdies and eight pars. He didn’t leave his lag putt quite where he wanted to — but didn’t leave the course feeling too bummed about it, either.
“If I had lost the tournament by a shot, then it’d be bittersweet,” said Couples, who shot his ninth consecutive round in the 60s. “There’s 36 more holes. I made a lot of putts today, too.”
Couples, who has been plagued by back issues throughout his career, said his body is feeling as good as his game looks. But he didn’t have to look far to know that he has plenty of company atop the leaderboard.
Ten players were within three shots of the lead. They included Steve Stricker, who made his PGA Tour Champions debut playing alongside Couples and Jerry Kelly.
Stricker birdied his first three holes and finished with a 6-under 67. He said he was a little more nervous than he expected to be, but the crowd made him feel welcome. Spectators wore University of Wisconsin hats and chanted “Go Badgers” and “On Wisconsin” in honor of Madison natives Stricker and Kelly.
“I get that a lot out here in Arizona,” Stricker said. “There’s a lot of Wisconsinites that live out here or come out here during the wintertime. (I) don’t hear that at every tour stop, so it’s definitely fun.”
Lehman also felt at home. The 1996 British Open champion lives in Scottsdale and helped redesign a portion of the Catalina Course, among other projects in Tucson. He birdied all five par-5s.
“The course was there for the taking, and a lot of guys are taking,” said Lehman, who’s playing in only his second event of the season after 2016 elbow surgery. “Mike Petty, who’s the superintendent here, I think he’s a genius. I’ve always thought that. He does a really, really good job, and he’s got the course looking perfect and playing perfect.”
Fifty-two players shot below par, the most in a single round in the Tucson Conquistadores Classic.
Maggert, the other player tied for second, wasn’t feeling great about his game despite two top-25 finishes in the first three Champions Tour events. He spent the three-week break between tournaments practicing and working on his flexibility. Maggert matched Lehman at 7-under 66.
“I had a good finish here last year, so I had kind of a good taste in my mouth,” said Maggert, who shot a final-round 64 last year to finish in a tie for 11th.
Three others joined Stricker at 6 under. They included Billy Mayfair, whose round turned when he holed his approach shot on No. 17 (his eighth hole) after hitting the ball in the water. Instead of a likely bogey, he ended up with a birdie.
Mayfair, who turned 50 last August, is from Phoenix and played for Arizona State in the 1980s.
“I love coming down here,” he said. “The people are great. Just one day a year that we cheer for ASU over U of A, and that’s during football, right around Thanksgiving. I’m hoping U of A does very well this week.”
Mayfair’s wife, Tami, also a former ASU golfer, has similar hopes for her husband.
“A win for a Sun Devil in Wildcat country would be special,” she said.
