Tucson Open First Round:
Low Temps, Low Scores

By Scott Behmer, Southern Arizona Bureau Chief

Tucson, Az - On the PGA Tour, timing is everything. One example: 10 of the top 13 players on the leaderboard came from Thursday's afternoon tee groupings. And by the end of one of the wackiest weather days in Tucson, Steve Lowery and Kevin Sutherland shared the first-round lead.

Kevin Sutherland

The Followers: One had to look no further than last year's final leaderboard to find many of Thursday's best rounds. Steve Lowery, Kirk Triplett, Kevin Wentworth, and Steve Flesch, all of whom secured top-20 finishes, are in this year's top-10.

• Preview: Touchstone Energy Tucson Open • Archived coverage of the Tucson Open • Past articles by Scott Behmer

Hometown Blues: Thursday was a very disappointing day for two of Tucson's hometown entrants. 16-year old Monday qualifier Jacob Rogers, who was only 2-over through #13, fell victim to the rain and finished at 5-over. Last year's feature story Eric Rustand, a graduate of Tucson's Sabino High School, ended today at 7-over and in last place.

Past Weather Blues: It seems every year during one of the opening rounds Tucson's normally idyllic weather takes a short leave of absence. In the '90's we saw snow, hail, and multiple days of freezing temperatures with wind and rain. Sure enough for only the second time this year it rained, and Jean Van de Velde noted, "When the rain came the temperature dropped 15 degrees."

Weather Forecast:

Have no fear,
The sun will reappear
On Friday.

Look for cloudy skies with highs in the low 60's. If you're heading out to the course early, prepare for the low 40's. However, the weekend we should see temps in the 70's again, transforming Tucson back into the beautiful golfing city that we all love.

Parting Shot: I'll bet that signing on at the last minute for the Tucson Open was one of the best golfing decisions Steve Lowery's ever made.