Tom Lehman, who missed his scheduled pro-am tee time Thursday because of illness, said he still felt under the weather Friday in the first round of the 3M Championship at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine.
Lehman finished with a 3-under-par 69, five shots behind leader Mark Wiebe. He played through his symptoms, but Lehman refused to blame what he called a frustrating day on sickness.
After all, having an up-and-down round has been a pattern for him this season, Lehman said.
"[There have been] a lot of rounds like today, where I've played really well for a while and then just kind of lose it," Lehman said. "Just very erratic, where I just can't seem to put 18 holes together."
The Minnesota native and former Gophers player spent a couple hours practicing Friday morning to make sure he felt strong enough to play. Through the first nine holes, Lehman played as if he were in tiptop shape, recording three birdies on the front nine and another on No. 10 to start the back nine 4 under par.
Lehman said his tempo was slow to start the day because of his illness. As he began playing well and he built up strength, Lehman said the adrenaline caused him to speed up. With bogeys on the 12th and 15th holes, he let the momentum slip away.
In 2012, Lehman became the first player to win consecutive Charles Schwab Cups, the award given every year to the Champions Tour player who finishes the season with the most points. Since then, Lehman said his putting has gotten worse and he hasn't been hitting the ball as well.
In July the 1996 British Open winner spent two weeks in the United Kingdom, playing at the British Open and the Senior British Open. Lehman said he recorded 30 bogeys during his time there.
