Ozark Invitational first round

Today’s final round of the 62nd annual Michelob Ozark Invitational is set up for a thriller — at least if Mother Nature will allow it.She sure helped out Saturday with a clear sky and no wind, helping 13 golfers break par in the first round at Westwood Hills Country Club. The group features four former champions led by Rob Long, who led everybody with a 5-under 66.“Let’s pray it thunders,” joked Long, a four-time champion who last won in 2005.Only twice has the tournament been cut short due to weather but there’s a 50 percent chance of rain today. The leaders are due to tee off at 1 p.m. with a large group chasing Long.“That’s just the way it is here,” Long said. “It’s such a good field.”Case Cochran, a high school senior from Paducah, Ky., is one shot back at 67 while Kyle Ramey, Doug Kreitner and two-time champion Scott Thomas finished at 68.“I’ve just got to go out there and make putts because you know Rob’s going to,” Cochran said. “He’s going to play real steady so I’m just going to go out and see what I can do.”Bobby Godwin, who won in 1989, shot a 69 while younger brother Ben, a four-time champion, was a shot back in a group of seven at 1-under 70. Also in the hunt are fellow local players Ben Brumitt and Tyler Hillis while Poplar Bluff’s Derek Rahlmann was in a group of nine at even-par 71.“Rob is awfully good and with ball-in-hand he’s a wizard,” said Bobby Godwin of a player’s ability to lift their ball, clean and place it before a shot.Long, of Clarksville, Tenn., got off to a fast start with birdies on three of his first four holes and another on the par-4 seventh to go 4-under on the front 9. His approach on the 484-yard, par-5 second hole fell to within two feet for an easy birdie putt. On the par-3 third, however, Long rolled in a 25-foot uphill putt for birdie before another birdie putt on the next hole. “This course can eat you up,” Long said. “It’s good to get off to a good start here.”After birdies on Nos. 7 and 12, Long finished with a bogey-free round by playing the back 9 1-under. The short-hitting Long’s only birdie on Westwood’s four par-5s was the first one he faced but that didn’t stop slow him down once again. He holds the modern tournament record of 64 in 2005.“You just have to raise your level up when you play some of these people,” Long said. “My time is running out, I’m 51.”Cochran, a high school senior from Paducah, Ky.,  was even at the turn after he followed pair of birdies on Nos. 2 and 6 with bogeys on Nos. 3 and 7. Consecutive birdies starting on the par-4 11th, the toughest hole in relation to par, and again starting on 17 put Cochran 4-under on the back 9 and for the day.“It’s just real fun to play (here),” said Cochran, who signed his letter of intent to play golf at Texas A&M. “You come out and just try to make putts because the greens are just perfect. If you make putts, you’ll go low.”Ramey, a senior at Southern Mississippi from Paducah, was 2-over after five holes following consecutive bogeys starting on No. 4. His day changed following the turn when he hit a 6-iron to within 15 feet on the 195-yard, par-3 10th and made birdie. More birdies on 11, 13 and 14 followed before finishing the day with another on 18. “I just hadn’t made anything all day and I made one and it got me going,” said Ramey, who played the back 9 a tournament-best 5-under.Thomas, who won the tournament in 1992 and ’97, had a bogey-free round that featured a birdie on Nos. 3, 9 and 18.Kreitner of East Alton, Ill. called his 68 adventurous. He was 2-under at the turn before birdies at 12 and 13 had him 4-under. However on 16 and 17 he ran into trouble with bogeys before finishing up with a birdie on 18.“I feel bad for my partners,” Kreitner said. “I did not hit it well at all.”Bobby Godwin was also thinking about a couple of missed opportunities — a three-putt for bogey and his tee shot on 11 that went out of bounds leading to a double bogey. Still, Godwin put himself in the hunt with an eagle on 9 and four birdies, playing the final seven holes 3-under after hitting it out of bounds.“Had my chances and missed a few but everybody does that,” said Godwin, who last finished in the top five in 2004. “That’s why everybody doesn’t shoot a 66.”

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NOTEBOOK:  Two weeks ago, Todd Obergoenner played a tournament in the snow.

“The weather has been awful this year but we had to play,” said Obergoenner, a member of the Southern Illinois University golf team.

“I understand how some people haven’t gotten out, but it’s a huge advantage for us (college players) because we’ve all been playing for two months.”

Maybe not.

Scott Thomas, a two-time Ozark champion, said his practice rounds this spring have been limited because of the weather.

“I was as astonished as anyone about playing this well,” said Thomas, who shot a 3-under 68.

First-round leader Rob Long is no spring chicken either at age 51, but he showed the kids a thing or two by putting just 22 times Saturday for a 66.

“It’s old time (course) and that’s what I like,” Long said. “I like something short, tight and tricky. The reason why is I’m short, I don’t hit it far.”

Among the dozen players within four shots of Long there are three college players including Obergoenner, who shot a 1-under 70, Kyle Ramey, a senior at Southern Mississippi, Poplar Bluff’s Tyler Hillis and high school senior Case Cochran, who shot a 67.

“First tournament of the year and I was a little shaky on the front 9,” said Cochran, the son of former PGA Tour winner Russ.

Last year’s winner John Kelly, who is now on the Hooters Tour, was a senior at Missouri when he won the second straight year.

SHOOTOUT: Lightning and rain stopped the Ozark Shootout during the third hole Friday afternoon and the 10 competitors were awarded their prizes based on play Saturday.

Long won the top prize followed by Jeff Johnson, Darren Lundgren, Janszen Ringo, Wayne Fredrick, Poplar Bluff’s John Shock, Ron Mangold and Brandon Lee. Brian Kennedy and Tyler Stalker were eliminated before the rain hit.

Lee, the defending club champion at Westwood Hills sank a birdie putt on the first hole Friday and chipped in for a birdie on 11 out of the sand.

“I was a litter nervous,” Lee said. “There are a lot of good players here, I just wanted to put it somewhere on the green.”

When asked if he got those birdies back Saturday following his round of 78, Lee said, “Today it just wasn’t there.”

EAGLES: There were three eagles in the first round Saturday.

Bobby Godwin chipped in from in front of the green on the par-5 ninth after using a driver and 5-wood to set up the chip.

Brian Haskell of St. Joseph eagled the par-5 second hole while Shane Burkett of Jay, Fla. knocked in his second shot on the par-4 17th.

SENIORS: Don Bliss, a four-time Missouri Amateur champion from St. Louis, leads the senior division after shooting an even-par 71.

Darrel Huisinga of Fenton is second at 73 followed by rounds of 74 by Randy Apgar, David Lucks and Gerald Siemons.

MINT GREENS: Once again the players were impressed with Westwood’s greens.

“The greens are mint, they’re as good as they get,” Thomas said.

Said Doug Kreitner of St. Louis, “The greens are perfect.”

After his round of 66, Long thanked tournament director Tom Hoover, PGA professional Jim Sides and course superintendent Steven Denkler.

“The hospitality is wonderful,” he added.