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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Fan Favorites Now Chasing Long Shot

Associated Press

Golf

Tiger Woods and Justin Leonard had the fans. All Sonny Skinner had was a surprising piece of Buick Open history - and a whopping four-shot lead after Thursday’s first round in Grand Blanc, Mich.

Skinner’s 10-under-par 62 tied the Buick Open record set two years ago by Jim Furyk at Warwick Hills Country Club. It also gave him a comfortable lead over Nolan Henke, who shot 66.

There was a huge logjam of players at 67 that included Furyk, Vijay Singh, David Duval and former University of Michigan captain John Morse.

Woods, the Masters champion, was nowhere to be found on the leaderboard. He had five bogeys in his even-par round of 72 over the 7,105-yard layout, about 60 miles north of Detroit.

Ernie Els, the U.S. Open champion, shot a 68. Leonard, who won last month’s British Open, shot a 70.

So much for the charge of the Generation X brigade.

Skinner, whose previous best was a 64 at the 1991 Chattanooga Classic, started his round with a par on the 10th hole. He had four birdies for a 5-under 31 after nine.

Skinner has never done better on the PGA Tour than a tie for 19th at the 1990 B.C. Open.

LPGA Friendly’s Classic

Chris Johnson and Joan Pitcock both made enough birdies, despite a number of mistakes, to shoot 4-under-par 68s and share the first-round lead at the LPGA Friendly’s Classic in Agawam, Mass.

Karrie Webb, the 1996 LPGA rookie of the year and the first rookie to earn $1 million in one year, was one stroke behind the co-leaders.

Tracy Hanson of Rathdrum, Idaho, shot a 73. Robin Walton of Clarkston finished with a 75.

Northville Classic

Call it a trip down memory lane.

Arnold Palmer, in his first appearance in the Senior PGA Tour’s Northville Classic, will tee it up in the opening round today in a threesome with Ray Floyd and Gary Player at Jericho, N.Y.

Palmer, who turns 68 on Sept. 10, has earned 10 victories as a senior after 60 triumphs on the regular tour.

Floyd has 13 triumphs as a senior after earning 22 on the regular tour.

Player, 61, is an 18-time winner as a senior after getting 21 on the regular tour.

U.S. Women’s Amateur

Italy’s Silvia Cavalleri birdied the 18th hole and the first extra hole to upset Colombian star Marisa Baena in the quarterfinals of the 97th U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship in Newton, Mass.

Cavalleri will face Andrea Baxter of Eagle, Idaho, in today’s semifinals on the par-73 Brae Burn Country Club course.

Robin Burke of Houston will face Heather Graff of Kennewick in the other semifinal.