Evansville, IN (Sports Network) - Omar Uresti fired a 7-under 65 on Thursday
to grab a 2-stroke lead after the first round of the inaugural United Leasing
Championship at Victoria National Golf Club.
Uresti's two Nationwide Tour titles came 13 years apart. His first was at the
1994 Shreveport Open and his second came at the 2007 Livermore Valley Wine
Country Championship.
Two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen carded a 5-under 67. He was joined in
second place by Martin Piller and David Lingmerth.
Alistair Presnell and Tag Ridings share fifth place at minus-4. Former PGA
Tour player Will MacKenzie is one of nine players tied for seventh 3-under 69.
Uresti started on the 10th and opened his round with a birdie. He converted a
birdie chance on the par-4 13th and followed with birdies at 14 and 15.
After seven consecutive pars around the turn, Uresti got to 5-under with a
birdie on the fifth. The 44-year-old birdied the par-4 eighth and made it two
in a row as he closed out his round with a birdie on the ninth.
"It was difficult out there. You have to hit the ball straight and by no means
it is an easy golf course. It was also nice to make some putts," Uresti
stated. "To get around in 7-under on this course, I'm really happy. It's nice
to be one of those guys that puts that number up."
Uresti has missed the cut in six of his 10 Nationwide Tour starts this year.
His best finish was a share of 10th in Louisiana.
Janzen flew out of the gate with three birdies in his first four holes from
the 10th. He followed with birdies at 15 and 17 to move to 5-under.
On the front side, Janzen got within one of the lead as he birdied the third.
He faltered to bogeys on the sixth and eighth, but got one stroke back with a
birdie on the par-5 ninth.
"I played the course very conservatively off the tee. There were times I could
have hit more club off the tee, but I opted to hit less club to make sure I
hit the fairway and was content to hit longer clubs into the greens," Janzen
explained.
Piller poured in three consecutive birdie chances from the first. He stumbled
to a bogey at the par-3 seventh, but birdied three of four holes from the
ninth to jump to minus-5. He parred the last six holes to end there.
Lingmerth stumbled to a bogey at the first. He got into red figures with three
straight birdies from the fifth. Lingmerth carded three more birdies on the
back nine to share second.
NOTES: This is a new event, and the first event under the tour's new umbrella
sponsor, Web.com...Steve Allan had a double-eagle on the par-5 15th...Nine of
the top-10 players on the money list are playing this week, but only Luke
List, 2-under 70, and Justin Hicks, 1-under 71, are in red figures...The
temperature hit 106 degrees, the hottest day ever in the month of June for
Evansville.
The Sports Network