NAUCALPAN, Mexico, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Dana Quigley fired a 3-under-par 69 Friday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the $3 million Audi Senior Classic.
Walter Hall is right behind Quigley after shooting a 70 while 2000 champion Hubert Green, Jim Colbert, Ed Dougherty, Lon Hinkle and Rodger Davis each shot 71s to share third place.
Quigley shared the lead after the first round of the Verizon Classic last week in Florida with a 7-under 64. But he saw his scores increase to 71 and 73 over the next two days and he settled in a tie for fifth place.
This week, Quigley will try to finish the way he started. Making the long trip south of the border is no problem for Quigley, one of the most active players on the Tour.
Quigley has played in 157 straight tournaments and the last 171 in which he has been eligible.
Defending champion Mike McCullough, who ended a long drought with his voctory last season, shot a 73 on Friday. McCullough won for the first time in 612 PGA Tour-sanctioned events last season, beating Colbert and Bob Eastwood by a stroke at La Vista
in Puebla.
Bruce Fleisher, a 14-time winner on the Senior Tour, was among
eight golfers to shoot a 72 on Friday.
Hale Irwin, a 33-timer winner on the elder circuit who finished second in last week's Verizon Classic, shot a 73.
Irwin won the ACE Group Classic two weeks ago and last week finished in the top three for the 74th time in his career, tying Bob Charles record for most top-three finishes.
Victor Garcia, the father of Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia, shota 78. The elder Garcia is competing on a father's exemption.
Verizon winner Doug Tewell is taking the week off.
