JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A hole-in-one. A tie for the tournament 18-hole record. The first-round lead.
A good day for Scott Parel, who has had some not-so-good health issues this summer.
The Georgia graduate (who, unlike a host of PGA Tour players, did not play golf for the Bulldogs) aced the par-3 17th hole at the Timuquana Country Club on Friday and played the next eight holes 8 under. He finished with a 64 and took a three-shot lead over Jerry Kelly and Brett Quigley in the PGA Tour Champions Constellation Furyk & Friends.
Miguel Angel Jimenez led seven players at 4 under and Jacksonville native David Duval, who grew up playing golf at Timuquana, Vijay Singh are among five more at 3 under.
A pair of World Golf Hall of Fame members, Davis Love III and Retief Goosen, shot 2-under 70. Tournament host Jim Furyk, battling back pain, checked in with a 71 that included a run of three birdies in four holes on the back nine. Defending champion Steve Stricker bogeyed two of his last three holes and finished at even-par 72.
Kelly, Quigley and Love were the only bogey-free players in the first round.
Parel ace ignited round
Parel, who was in the first group to tee off No. 10, used an 8-iron from 158 yards out for the third ace in tournament history. He later birdied No. 18 then turned to the front nine and rattled off birdies at Nos. 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7.
Scott Parel plays a shot on the ninth hole during the first round of the 2023 Constellation Furyk & Friends at Timuquana Country Club in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
He’s a four-time PGA Tour Champions winner and has a knack for hanging around with 43 top-10 finishes and 24 top-fives.
He tied Stricker for the tournament’s low round. Stricker shot his 64 in the second round last year, fueling his eventual two-shot victory.
“I hit the ball well … which I’ve been for a while,” said Parel, an Augusta, Georgia, resident and former computer programmer who didn’t turn professional until he was 31. He has carved out a respectable Champions tour career with more than $7.6 million in earnings.
Credit to good fortune
Parel termed his day “lucky.” Any hole-in-one involves long odds (3,000-to-1 for a pro) and after his birdie at No. 18, he pushed his tee shot near the trees at the first hole and it kicked out into the fairway. From there he made a par. Parel then birdied five of his next six holes.
“Got lucky and made a hole-in-one,” he said. “Got a really good break on…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golfweek…