Percy shares Houston open lead
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2010 Shell Houston Open | Round One | 02 Apr 2010
Victorian golfer and PGA Tour rookie, Cameron Percy, took full advantage of a late inclusion in the field for this week’s Shell Houston Open by producing an afternoon round of 67 on day one and shares the lead with American Kevin Stadler.
Percy was not in the field when entries closed last Friday but withdrawals meant he would gain a start which he has capitalised on.
Percy, who graduated to the PGA Tour via the Nationwide Tour in 2009, has hardly set the world on fire in his first few events as a PGA Tour cardholder but an improvement in his putting was the key today.
“I honestly just played the way I played all year, said Percy after his round. "A friend of mine sat me down own Tuesday, he caddies for Greg Chalmers, Mal Baker. He looks at my stats. I was like seventh on the Tour in proximity to the hole or something.
He said, ’Cam, you got to do something about your putting. It’s just woeful, only 70 percent maybe from 3 feet. You’re hitting it good enough. You just got to improve your putting.’ I spent hours and hours on the putting green Tuesday and Wednesday, and it’s made a little difference coming today. I hold about a 10-footer for par, which kept my round going."
Stadler was out early on day one and moved to 6 under through 17 holes before a bogey at the last, after finding the fairway bunker, would cost him the outright first round lead.
Vaughn Taylor, Anthony Kim, James Driscoll and Kevin Sutherland are one shot further back at 4 under.
Adam Scott is the next best of the Australians after Percy the former Houston Open winner putting together a round of 69. Two time winner of this event Stuart Appleby has made a good start to be at 2 under 70.
