Thirty-six players broke par Thursday in the HealthOne Colorado Open, but no one did it better than a couple of Denver residents.
Charlie Soule, who calls Green Valley Ranch Golf Club his home course and does some instruction work at the facility, put his local knowledge to good use Thursday with a 6-under-par 65, which included a 5-under 30 shot on the back nine in some challenging windy conditions.
And Nick Mason, whose big claim to fame in the Colorado Open is firing a 12-under-par 60 when the tournament held one round at Saddleback Golf Club in Firestone in 2007, posted a bogey-free 66 on Thursday.
They sit 1-2 on the leaderboard after round 1, with James Drew of Las Vegas, Nev., sharing second place with Mason.
Soule made eight birdies on the day and played his final 13 holes in 6 under par.
“This is one of the best rounds of golf I think I’ve played,” he said. “There were a few little mistakes in the beginning — some missed short putts — but overall I’ve shot 10 under (par) before and this felt just as good. Tee to green was solid and the putter started working after nine holes. It just caught fire.”
It certainly doesn’t hurt that Soule knows GVR like the back of his hand. He estimates he’s played 200 rounds at the course.
“It’s like perfect” for me, said the 27-year-old. “The greens are in great shape and you’ve got to hit just about every club in your bag. And I’ve been striking the ball pretty well for a while. It’s my home course. What can you say?”
The round came as Soule has been doing more golf instruction and competing less this year than in the past.
“I’ve been relaxed and enjoying myself and it’s paid dividends on the golf course,” he said. “I’m not putting so much pressure on, training every day as hard as I used to, and every shot caring so much as I used to. Now it’s a little more relaxed and kind of fun. And I’ve started coming up with these rounds that seem like they’re great but I’m just out having fun.”
Mason was likewise having a ball on Thursday. The 2010 Utah Open champion not only went bogey-free in the first round, but he hit all 18 greens in regulation. It wasn’t quite as good as his 60 at Saddleback, but it still left a big smile on his face.
“At Green Valley Ranch I don’t have a good track record,” he said. “This week I’m hitting the ball good and moving it both ways so I think I’ll have a good chance.”
Mason has plenty of company in that belief. A total of 28 players broke 70 on Thursday. The seven-man group at 67 includes defending champion Nathan Lashley of Scottsdale, Ariz.; Parker resident Scott Petersen, the 2000 Open champion; Jamie Marshall, who grew up in Colorado and is in his first month as a professional; amateur Brandon Bingaham of Montrose, a Mesa State University golfer; fellow Scottsdale-based pros Jason Allred and Benoit Beisser; and Blake Trimble of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
For Mason, it was an unusually good round at GVR.
“I’ve had trouble breaking 70 at Green Valley Ranch the last four years, and that’s a great way to start this tournament,” said Mason, who just started living year-round in Denver. “Momentum and confidence is huge, especially for me and my game. I’m a momentum player and I usually have problems in first rounds. It’s great to start out like that. I’m really pleased.”
Mason may call the Utah Open the biggest victory of his career, but it’s the Colorado Open that’s closest to his heart.
“This is my favorite tournament of the year,” he said. “It’s the best state open in the country that I play. The golf course set-up is awesome. The greens are good and the fairways are unbelievable. Conditions are right up there with a tour event.”
Marshall, a Regis High School graduate who just wrapped up a University of Arkansas career that included two victories, made his professional debut last weekend at the Waterloo Open, where he placed 24th. This marks his first Colorado Open since his high school days, and he got off to a fast start.
In fact, he chipped in for birdie from 60 feet on his first hole Thursday (No. 10).
“That was a good way to start,” said the 23-year-old, who now lives in Fayetteville, Ark. “That calmed me down and got me in a good flow.”
Bingaman, who hadn’t even seen the entire course before Thursday, didn’t seem bothered by that as he made seven birdies, including five on his back nine (1-9).
“I was looking to make the cut (coming into the week),” said the Fruita High School graduate. “But I hit the ball well and I putted well. One plus one equals a good round.”
Lashley, last year’s champion and a good friend of Mason’s, is looking for his fifth victory of the year. Like last summer, he came to Colorado on a roll, having just won the Waterloo Open.
“I like this course,” he said. “If you hit good shots you get rewarded most of the time and it’s in really good condition. It’s nice to play out here.”
Lashley’s round was marred slightly by bogeys after hitting into the water on No. 17 (his eighth hole) and after a tough bunker shot on No. 9, but he also recorded an eagle on the 18th hole.
Petersen, playing in the windy afternoon conditions, made five birdies in the opening round and didn’t record his first bogey until the 18th hole.
“With the conditions the way they were, this was a pretty good round,” said the 41-year-old Parker resident. “I also missed a couple of 5-footers for birdie, but I made a couple of 20-footers, so it all evens out.”
Notable: Amateur Mark Hubbard of Denver shot a 1-under-par 70 Thursday despite a triple-bogey 8 on his final hole (No. 9), where he incurred penalties for both a lost ball and an unplayable lie. … Two-time Colorado Open champion Jim Blair (69) and son Zac Blair (68) both broke 70 on Thursday. So did brothers Zen Brown (68) and Zahkai Brown (69). … One of the more unique rounds was that of Derek Fribbs of Castle Rock, who shot 34 on the front nine and 42 on the back.
