A wild collection of current top players, unknowns and living legends dotted the upper echelon of the leaderboard after one day at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, but each and every one of them was looking up to 38-year-old Ben Crane.
Crane, currently ranked 159th in the world, fired a 7-under 63 thanks to a seven-birdie, bogey-free round. He has four victories on the PGA Tour in his career, the last coming in 2011.
Crane has a two-stroke lead on fellow Americans Peter Malnati and Billy Horschel, who is 5-under through 16 holes as play was suspended after rain and then darkness took their tolls.
Tied for fourth is a rag-tag group of five including South Africa’s Retief Goosen and Australia’s Stuart Appleby. The 43-year-old Appleby is at 4-under through 17 thanks in large part to an ace on No. 8 just before the round was called.
The 45-year-old Goosen is in the clubhouse at 4-under. Sitting at even par through the front nine, he heated up with three straight birdies beginning on No. 13 and added another on No. 17.
Defending British Open champion Phil Mickelson is in a group of 14 tied for ninth at 3-under. Mickelson, trying to get focused for next week’s US Open, shot a 67, but a bogey on No. 18 kept him from being closer to the front of the pack.
Among those tied with Mickelson at 3-under is Davis Love III, who finished 16 holes on Thursday.
GolfBlogger.co.uk 