Rory Sabbatini of Slovakia fired a bogey-free, 7-under-par 65 to take the first-round lead at the Boeing Classic on Friday in Snoqualmie, Wash.
Sabbatini turned 50 on April 2 and made his PGA Tour Champions debut two weeks later. Now he enters the weekend in fine position for his first win on the senior circuit.
He leads Jerry Kelly and New Zealand’s Steven Alker by two shots after 18 holes at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge.
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect coming here, I hadn’t been here before, but from tee to green, pretty simplistic layout,” Sabbatini said. “You know the keys, the things you have to do, just put the ball in the fairway. Greens are a little tricky out there and the bunkering is pretty severe, pretty deep. You know, the closer you get to the green, you have to be very particular, very precise on the shots you’re going to play.”
Sabbatini has had some close calls already. He placed third at a senior major in July, the Kaulig Companies Championship at famed Firestone Country Club, and was in the running after two rounds of the Portugal Invitational before a final-round 76 dropped him into a tie for 13th.
“Firestone gave me a glimpse in the final round, but Portugal kind of set me back again, definitely got under my skin, irritated me a little bit,” Sabbatini said. “I just realized that out here you’ve just got to make sure that you keep your foot down on the pedal all the way to the end because there’s too many good golfers out here.”
Kelly, the Boeing Classic champion in 2017, had six birdies and one bogey on his card. Alker matched Sabbatini’s seven birdies, but with two bogeys as part of the mix.
“I think my bogeys were just kind of like on the green, kind of hurt me a little bit,” Alker said. “Didn’t birdie the par-5s on the back nine, which is disappointing. All in all, yeah, solid day for not having played for two-and-a-half weeks.”
Six players shared fourth at 4-under 68: Steve Flesch, George McNeill, Tim Herron, Stewart Cink, Vaughn Taylor and Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke.
Defending champion Steve Allan of Australia opened with a 3-under-par 69. Michael Block, the teaching professional who famously tied for 15th at the 2023 PGA Championship, is in the field on a sponsor exemption and posted a 70 to join the group of 27 players in the 78-man field to break par.
