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Saturday October 1, 2005

Warren ties course record to take lead at Greensboro

GREENSBORO (North Carolina): Unheralded Charles Warren rode a red-hot putter to a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Greensboro Classic here on Thursday.

Warren fired 10 birdies in a 10-under 62, matching the Forest Oaks course record.

“That's as close to a perfect round as I've ever played,” Warren said. “I was hitting the ball exactly where I wanted, and I felt like I was going to make every putt.

“I'm not going to tell you I could have shot 59, but if I was ever going to shoot 59, today would have been the chance.”

Warren, a lowly 100th on the PGA Tour money list, is in his second season on the tour. He played in 1999, but finished 213th on the money list and lost his card before earning another shot at the big time this year.

OUT IN FRONT: Charles Warren watches his shot in the first round of the Greensboro Classic on Thursday. Warren carded a course record-tying 10-under 62 for the lead. – APpic

He upstaged the better-known KJ Choi of South Korea, who carded 64, while DJ Trahan shot 65.

Spain's Sergio Garcia, the top-ranked player in the field on the world rankings, opened his campaign with a 69.

Warren said a change in his putting stance had opened the door to his low score. At the behest of his instructor on Wednesday, he opened his stance, and it certainly paid dividends just a day later.

“Something little like that makes a huge difference,” he said. “We worked for an hour and a half and something clicked. It feels like the complete package finally, and it added up to the best round of my career.” – AFP

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