Hot putter puts Starkjohann out front after Round One

Chris Starkjohann had an amazing nine one-putts in his 5-under 66 Thursday, and leads Bill Amundsen, Frank Esposito and Kevin Burton by a shot after Round One. Former champs Tim Thelen and Wayne DeFrancesco are three shots back.

By T.J. Auclair, PGA.com Interactive Producer

SUNRIVER, Ore. -- If the 40th PGA Professional National Championship turns into a putting contest, then Chris Starkjohann sure is going to be tough to beat.

Playing the Meadows Golf Course at the Sunriver Resort in the first round on Thursday -- it plays 600 yards shorter than host course Crosswater Golf Club -- the 50-year-old PGA Teaching Professional at The Hodges Golf Learning Center in Escondido, Calif., used just 28 putts in a round of 5-under-par 66 under cloudless blue skies. That stellar round included an amazing nine one-putts and gave Starkjohann a one-shot advantage over the trio of Bill Amundsen, Frank Esposito and Kevin Burton.

Brett Melton, Mike Zinni, Timothy Fries and Steve Isley are all two shots off the pace at 3 under par. Two-time champion Tim Thelen was three shots back at 2 under, along with 2001 champ Wayne DeFrancesco, whose win came here at Sunriver. Defending champion Ron Philo Jr. struggled at Crosswater with an opening 5-over-par 77.

"I drove the ball good. I only missed one fairway and I think I only missed two greens," Starkjohann said. "The putter was good today. I had good speed on the front and only had 10 putts on the front side. I had two putts from the fringe, one took two putts, but only counted as a one-putt and the other I holed, which meant no putts. Things were clicking for me today. I was hitting it close."

Four of Starkjohann's six birdies came on putts inside of five feet and the other two were from no longer than 25 feet.

"Getting off to a good start at the Meadows was important. I don't think many of us have played this venue except for 2001 when the National Championship was here, which I didn't play in," he said. "This is obviously the easier golf course. Birdies can be made over at Crosswater, but you've really got to hit it in the right spots because you're going to have longer irons in over there."

This is Starkjohann's ninth appearance in the premier event for PGA Professionals. His best finish was fifth place, a feat he has accomplished twice including 2006 at Turning Stone in New York.

Unlike many in the field at Sunriver this week, Starkjohann is a seasoned tournament player. Since turning 50 last June, he has competed in 11 Champions Tour events. His best finish on the 50+ circuit was a tie for 10th in the 3M Championship last August.

"I play more because I choose to. It's a choice. I always say there are priorities and if there's a tournament and I want to play, I go play it," said Starkjohann, who is the reigning Senior PGA Professional of the Year. "I make that a priority, which anyone else could do too. I pretty much had a rule when I was a head professional too -- when I was on the course I didn't think about work and when I was at work I didn't think about golf. You do what you have to do when you're in the situation you're in."

Of the three players trailing Starkjohann by a shot, the 30-year-old Amundsen from Black River Falls, Wis., is the only one making his debut in the PGA Professional National Championship.

Amundsen flew out of the gates with five birdies over his first nine holes at the Meadows Course and slowed down slightly with two bogeys on the back, including one at the final hole. After his tee shot found the water on the left side of the fairway, Amundsen took a drop, caught a flier lie and delivered a massive 170-yard 9-iron that settled just off the green, 60 feet from the hole.

He nearly made a miraculous par, leaving the putt from the fringe just inches from the cup and settled for par and a 4-under 67.

"The two-putt [from 60 feet] was good," Amundsen said. "I thought I made it. I was cheering at it a little bit."

Burton shot 68 and was the lone player at 4 under to open the tournament on the more difficult Crosswater Course -- par is 72 at Crosswater and 71 at the Meadows.

As expected, the Meadows Course was the place to get the scoring done. Of the 40 scores under par on Thursday, 30 came from the Meadows, which averaged 73.435, or 2.435 strokes over par. Conversely, Crosswater had an average score of 76.508 -- 4.508 shots over par.

Patricia Post, the head women's golf coach at Georgetown University, is the only woman in the field this week and just the second in tournament history, joining Connecticut's Suzy Whaley. Post, 30, shot a 5-over-par 76 at the Meadows in the first round. The highlight of her day was a chip-in for eagle that came on the 452-yard par-5 17th hole, her eighth hole of the day.

"I can tell you that I had a sleepless night last night," Post said. "I had a little bit of nerves, just because I want to make sure that I'm representing what we're capable of as women. It was a little nerve-wracking, but I had a great pairing."

Also in the field of 312 is Post's husband, Brendon. He shot a 1-over 72 in the first round at the Meadows.