Fans thrilled with golf's return to Tucson

There are still two full days and 36 holes of golf left before a winner is crowned at this weekend's Tucson Conquistadores Classic.

But Friday it was clear there has already been one victor: Tucson professional golf.

Fans filled Omni Tucson National Golf Resort on Friday for the opening day of the three-day tournament. An official crowd estimate wasn't available, but all 18 holes were packed and the concession stand lines were long all day.

"It was great to be back playing in front of unbelievable crowds here," said Billy Andrade, who fired an opening round 69 to tie for ninth. "I think all the players are ecstatic to play in front of a crowd like this. I think this is the biggest crowd I've seen since I've been out on the Champions Tour.

"It really gives you the feel of a real PGA event."

The last time Tucson National hosted a professional event was 2006 for the Tucson Open. This weekend's field, filled with players who have been here before, said it felt like old times Friday.

"I thought it was fantastic, and it proves that this area is in need of professional golf," said Colin Montgomerie, who shot a 67 and is tied for second. "It's a shame that the Tucson Open has gone off the PGA Tour, and I think it's fantastic that the crowds are more like a PGA Tour event than anything else.

"I look forward to playing here many years in the future. Let's hope it remains."

The buzz from the gallery size was noticed by nearly all the pros.

David Frost, who also shot a 65, said he mentioned to playing partner Tom Kite early in the round how crowded the course was.

"These crowds we have here, they just definitely make us feel like the old days," Frost said. "They have over 500 volunteers here outside the Conquistadores, so it's great to see the whole community get behind us.

"You hear the comments on the golf course that they're happy to see us, and thanks for coming, but it's really our pleasure to be here."

No one enjoyed Friday more than 50-year-old Jerry Smith, who shot a 7-under 65 and hit a hole-in-one on the 197-yard No. 7 to lead the tournament after the opening day.

Smith, who lives in Scottsdale, opened his round on No. 10 and shot a 35 on his first nine.

On his back nine -- the front nine of the course -- Smith caught fire. He had four birdies and the hole-in-one to shoot a 30 and get to 7-under for the lead.

"On No. 7, I hit a 5-iron and cut it just a little bit back into the wind," said Smith, who added he has at least 10 aces in his career. "In the air, I really didn't have any belief that it could go in for a one, but once it hit the green, it started rolling back there. A lot of friends that were following me around were up at the green and they gave it the ol' cheer, and I saw it disappear."

Smith birdied the next hole and made par on his final one to secure the 65.

The native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, hasn't had a lot of early leads in his career.

Smith played on several different tours, including the PGA Tour, early in the 2000s. But after the 2007 season, Smith lost his tour card.

He played in 19 tournaments that year and made the cut just five times.

Smith played on some mini-tours, but couldn't find consistent work.

So Smith said three years ago as times "financially were getting difficult," he went back to work. He looked for a job as a head pro or a college coach, but nothing worked out.

Smith finally accepted a part-time job at TPC Scottsdale and even served some of the guys he now calls colleagues.

"A lot of the guys took double takes and I'm sure wondered what the heck I was doing there," Smith said. "But I had to do something. I really did."

Smith then took a six-month seasonal job at Crowns Golf Club in Casper, Wyoming. So in the winters, Smith worked in Scottsdale and in the summers, he would trek to Wyoming.

But last year, as he was getting ready to turn 50, Smith decided to go to Champions Tour qualifying school. He finished 18th and earned his card. He then went over to Europe and qualified for the European Senior Tour.

He played in just three Champions Tour events last year, doing most of his work in Europe.

But so far this year, he has played in two tournaments and finished in the top 25 in both. Now he'll head into the weekend with a two-stroke lead over Frost, Montgomerie, Marco Dawson and Steve Pate, searching for his first Champions Tour win.

"I think I'm really just trying to enjoy how many ever years we all have left to play," Smith said. "I really like competing. I like playing in tournament golf. I think it's been easier to enjoy myself out here than the main tour. So I'm just really enjoying it, and I think somebody up above has had a little bit of a hand on my shoulder here lately."

This article was written by Daniel Berk from The Arizona Daily Star and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.