SAN MARTIN — Jeff Overton has never won on the PGA Tour, a career spanning nine years.
This just might be his time. Overton, 30, shot a 7-under 64 in the first round of the Frys.com Open at CordeValle on Thursday. Overton’s bogey-free round included five birdies and an eagle. He parred his first seven holes before finishing the front nine with birdie, eagle.
“(The) first seven holes I was inside of probably 12 feet on every hole, and it felt like I never made a putt,” the 6-foot-4, 195-pound Overton said. “All of a sudden I made a good three- or four-footer on my second putt on (No.) 7 I guess it was, and next thing I knew I made everything.”
Did he ever. Overton had a scintillating 4-under 32 on the back nine and takes a one-shot lead over Brian Harman entering Friday’s second round. Harman finished his day with a 6-under 65.
“I got off to a good start,” Harman said. “Made some putts. Stayed real down to earth and didn’t get too up or too down. It was a round that you hope to start with.”
Kyle Stanley is all alone in third place at 5-under 66. Six players were tied for fourth at 4-under 67, and nine other golfers were just a shot back at 3-under. Like Overton, Harman has never won on Tour.
Overton has finished in second four times, while Harman has two third-place finishes to his credit. Both players struggled last year — Harman was fighting to keep his card and Overton has been battling tendinitis in his wrist for the last several seasons, forcing him to change his grip three months ago.
Both players are hoping their best is yet to come. Overton made headlines for all the wrong reasons when he was disqualified from the Colonial tournament in May for illegally using a putting alignment device while waiting to tee off at the 10th hole.
“I mean, I don’t know (why I didn’t play well last year),” Overton said. “I felt like I played great. I don’t think my scoring average was any different. Getting disqualified at the one place, Colonial, that hurt.”
“Last year was a grind,” Harman said. “I really didn’t play very well at all in stretches. Played well enough to keep my (Tour) card, thank goodness.”
OUTSIDE TO IN
As the first alternate, former Stanford standout Alex Aragon was on the outside looking in — until Thursday morning.
That’s when Aragon was notified he was in the tournament after John Merrick withdrew with an injury. Aragon made the most of his opportunity, shooting a 3-under 68 that left him four shots off the lead entering Friday’s second round.
“I had resigned myself to zero (percent chance of playing),” said Aragon, who graduated from the Web.com Tour in 2013. “I had already come to terms with not getting to play. I guess I have to send John Merrick a little gift basket.”
Aragon was actually eating breakfast at CordeValle at 6:45 a.m. when he was notified that he was set to tee off at 7:50.
NOTABLES
Defending champion Jonas Blixt finished at 2-under 69, along with Vijay Singh. Fred Funk, making his first PGA Tour start of the year using his one-year exemption for being top 50 on the career money list, finished at 4-over 75, along with Retief Goosen and Angel Cabrera.
YOUTH IS SERVED
Recent Cal graduate Max Homa’s professional debut was a memorable one. Homa, the 2013 NCAA champion, finished at 3-under 69.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Any time you can get an old country boy out here looking at turkeys and deer up on the hill, funny enough way out here in California.”
Brian Harman
Leaderboard
1. Jeff Overton 7-under 64
2. Brian Harman 6-under 65
3. Kyle Stanley 5-under 66
T4. Jason Kokrak 4-under 67
T4. Michael Putnam 4-under 67
T4. J.J. Henry 4-under 67
T4. Charlie Wi 4-under 67
T4. Jim Herman 4-under 67
T4. Brooks Koepka 4-under 67
T10. Robert Allenby 3-under 68
T10. George McNeil 3-under 68
T10. Alex Aragon 3-under 68
T10. John Peterson 3-under 68
T10. Camilo Villegas 3-under 68
T10. Johnson Wagner 3-under 68
T10. Scott Brown 3-under 68
T10. Justin Hicks 3-under 68
T10. Lee Williams 3-under 68
