American Tom Hoge closed with back-to-back birdies yesterday morning to fire an opening-round six-under-par 65 and grab a share of the lead at the weather-interrupted US PGA Barbasol Championship.
Hoge, seeking his first US PGA title, joined compatriots Martin Flores, Cameron Tringale and Zac Blair atop the leaderboard after 18 holes at the Robert Trent Jones Trail course in Auburn, Alabama.
A storm Thursday halted play for two hours and darkness fell with several contenders still on the course, including Hoge, a back-nine starter who had just answered his lone bogey at the fourth hole with a birdie at the par-5 fifth when play was stopped.
Hoge, whose best finish this season was a share of 10th at the Puerto Rico Open, charged with a 12-foot birdie putt at the par-3 eighth and a six-foot birdie putt at the par-4 ninth to join the lead pack.
New Zealand’s Steven Alker birdied the ninth yesterday as well to join a pack one stroke off the pace on 66 that also included four Thursday finishers — Aussie Robert Allenby, South African Rory Sabbatini and Americans Chad Campbell and Tag Ridings.
The tournament, played opposite the British Open at Royal Birkdale, features a field largely drawn from outside the top 125 on the US PGA season points list looking to rise and qualify for the season-ending playoffs.
On Thursday, Flores and Tringale were in the clubhouse on six-under 65 before thunderstorms halted play for almost two hours. Blair returned after the interruption and seized his share of the lead with a birdie at his final hole.
Flores went right to work on the par-71 layout rolling in a 12-foot birdie putt at the first hole. He picked up another stroke at the second, then birdied the par-five fifth to make the turn at three-under.
He drained a 14-footer for birdie at the par-five 13th, and added back-to-back birdies at 16 and 17.
But Flores said the key to the round was making pars in between, which wasn’t so easy as he missed five straight greens from the seventh through the 11th.
“I didn’t really strike my approaches that well in the middle of the round, so getting the ball up and down a few times was key to keeping the momentum,” he said. “Something I’ve been lacking this season is just keeping the rounds going, and I was able to do that today, which was a huge positive.”
After opening his round with four straight pars, Tringale got things going with a seven-foot birdie putt at the par-five fifth.
“Made a nice putt for birdie on five and that kind of just opened the doors for the rest of the round,” said Tringale, whose seven birdies included four after his lone bogey of the day, at the par-four 11th.
“I hit a lot of fairways, gave myself a lot of good looks on the greens and was able to capitalize.”
Blair rolled in a 17-foot birdie putt at his last hole, the par-four ninth, to join the leaders. His bogey-free round also included an eagle at the par-five fifth and three more birdies.

Leading Round I scores
65 — Martin Flores (USA), Cameron Tringale (USA), Zac Blair (USA), Tom Hoge (USA)
66 — Chad Campbell (USA), Rory Sabbatini (RSA), Robert Allenby (AUS), Tag Ridings (USA), Steven Alker (NZL)
67 — David Hearn (CAN), Grayson Murray (USA), Alex Cejka (GER), Derek Rende (USA), Rick Lamb (USA), Chad Collins (USA), Andrew Loupe (USA), Noh Seung-Yul (KOR), Chesson Hadley (USA), Tim Herron (USA), Richy Werenski (USA), Jonathan Byrd (USA), Robert Garrigus (USA)