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Hawaii’s Wilson
leads Texas Open
SAN ANTONIO » Some tough playing conditions cooled off Ted Purdy on yesterday.
A day after matching the course record with a 61, Purdy struggled through the stifling heat to a 69 that left him at 10-under 130, one stroke behind leader Dean Wilson midway through the Texas Open.
David Peoples (64), Ryan Palmer (65), John Senden (65) and J.J. Henry (67) were all at 131, one shot ahead of Scott Simpson (67) and Aaron Barber (63). Barber's round was the lowest of the day.
Purdy was tied with Wilson with two holes to play, but he carded his fourth bogey of the day by hitting his tee shot over the green on the par-3 17th and then two-putting from 15 feet.
"Because it was so hot, the ball was flying further and I misjudged some iron shots," Purdy said. "I hit a 5-iron yesterday in the middle of the green, pin high (on No. 17) and today I hit a 5-iron over the green behind some trees."
Purdy played in the peak heat, which reached 97 degrees, and when the wind came up in the late afternoon.
"It was kind of swirling, and you're on the hills and it's hard to determine where it's coming from," he said.
By contrast, Wilson had a 65, going out early in the morning, when conditions were better at the La Cantera Golf Club course in the rocky hills just north of San Antonio.
He opened his round with a birdie at No. 1, the event's longest hole at 665 yards, and added another on the par-4 7th.
On the back nine, he had birdies on three of the first four holes before recording his only bogey, a three-putt on the par-4 15th. He got the stroke back on 18 when he hit a 7-iron within 3 feet for a birdie.
"If the weather stays the same, I'll have the same game plan on the course and hopefully keep making some birdies," said Wilson, who had a top-15 finish at last week's Canadian Open.
Before that, however, he missed the cut in eight of 11 events.
"So far this year I haven't played so well and dug myself a pretty good hole," said Wilson, currently 150th on the money list. "I'm going to be out playing every event until I make my money."
Two-time champions Duffy Waldorf (67) and Justin Leonard (68) were in a group of four at 133, while Jesper Parnevik (65) and past winners Bob Estes (66) and Loren Roberts (68) were among 10 players at 134.
Henry, who began the day tied for second with Wilson and Tim Clark, turned in a steady round marked by long runs of pars.
His only bogey came when he missed a 6-foot par putt on the par-3 2nd. His only birdie on the back nine was on the 14th, a short par-5.
One hole later, he drove into the deep left rough but managed to get up and down from 25 yards to salvage par.
"Walking off the 15th hole, I said, 'That's the kind of break that every once in a while you need to win a tournament,"' he said. "I've always been a good ball-striker. When I putt well I seem to climb the leaderboard."
Henry has made the cut in his last 11 tournaments, though his best finish in that stretch was 16th at the Buick Classic in June.
