Seniors find course 'there for the taking'

On a TPC Twin Cities course that could be had Friday, it seemed everybody in the 3M Championship field took dead aim at the flagstick like a dart to a board. How fitting that one of the players who went the lowest switched back to his Titleist Bulls Eye putter less than a day earlier.

"Made some good putts at times," David Frost said of his 8-under-par 64 on Friday, which included birdies on all four par-3s. "Rolled in a few. And putting is always the name of the game. Doesn't matter how good you hit the ball, putting is where you can make a mediocre round look great."

"Great" was the overlaying theme.

Frost and playing partner Mark Calcavecchia matched 64s on Friday, one shot behind Tommy Armour III for the first-round lead.

In all, 31 golfers in the 78-player field turned in rounds in the 60s on Friday, and 45 players broke par. There were 297 birdies to go along with six eagles, including two by Calcavecchia, on Nos. 3 and 6.

Calcavecchia, who started his round on No. 10, made a 15-foot putt for his first eagle, then blasted out of a greenside bunker -- a "calculated chunk" he called it -- three holes later from 45 feet away.

A pair of bogeys on par-3s at Nos. 17 and 8 kept him out of the lead.

On Thursday, Nick Price claimed the course "is playing a lot longer than it was last year." This, however, was said with a stiff breeze toying with players' shot-making abilities during a pro-am. On Friday, near-still conditions and soft greens meant plenty of red numbers. Twelve players finished with bogey-free rounds.

"Golly, I really didn't miss a shot," said John Cook, who is tied with Jeff Sluman for fourth at 7-under 65. "I had chances, [and] it really doesn't surprise me that a lot of guys did. It's perfect out here."

This is nothing new. When the conditions are right, and they have been in recent years, the TPC Twin Cities course is among the easiest on the Champions Tour.

Last year, 69 sub-70 rounds were shot in the 3M Championship, including 37 in the final round, making it the ninth-easiest course on which to score.

Since the event moved to TPC Twin Cities from Bunker Hills in 2001, the winner has finished at 11 under or better every year but the first, when Bruce Lietzke won at 9 under. Bernhard Langer won last year's tournament at 16 under.

"Nine birdies, I played good today," said a subdued Armour, who has three runner-up finishes but has yet to break through on the Champions Tour this season. "[But] the lead today doesn't really matter."

True. History shows that consecutive low rounds will be what it takes to win.

Of the 11 events contested over 54 holes on tour this season, eight have been won by players posting sub-200 total scores.

Calcavecchia figures that if the winds continue to stay away, it will take 20 under par or better to win the 3M Championship.

It's a nod to the ease of the course, sure. But also a testament to the talent.