A pair of names that many golf fans may recognize currently sit atop the leaderboard after one round at the Champions Tour National Qualifying Tournament in Coral Springs, Fla.
Long-time golf announcer Bobby Clampett, who played a full season on the Champions Tour in 2012, shares the lead with Damon Green, better known as a caddie on the PGA Tour for Zach Johnson. Both men shot 4-under 68s Tuesday at TPC Eagle Trace and co-lead by one shot over Esteban Toledo and Neal Lancaster.
After finishing 39th on the 2012 money list, Clampett is hoping to increase his playing opportunities for 2013 with a high finish this week. He was tied for sixth at Q-School last year, narrowly missing fully-exempt status.
Green, who was on the bag for Johnson when he won The Masters in 2007, has played five Champions Tour events since turning 50 in 2011. His round began with two bogeys on his first four holes, but he played the next 13 holes in 7 under to change the course of his round.
‘I just told myself to be patient, it’s a long week,’ Green told reporters. ‘You know, all those things a caddie tells a player.’
There will be no cut at this week’s event; all 78 players in the field will complete four rounds. The top five players will be fully exempt for the 2013 season, with the next seven players conditionally exempt for next year.
