CLARKSBUG, ONT. — Two of the leaders at the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic got an assist from their amateur playing partners yesterday.
Aron Price and Bubba Dickerson both said their partners at the Nationwide Tour's pro-am event had a positive influence on their games by calming them down after poor starts – bogeys on the first hole.
“I was extremely heated,” Price said. “But then I thought the last thing my playing partners wanted to do was to play with someone complaining the whole round of golf.”
Price, of Australia, snapped out of his first-hole funk and reeled off five birdies and two eagles over the next 17 holes, shooting seven-under-par 65 to take the first-round lead.
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Dickerson, among a group of 15 golfers tied for ninth place at five under, said he welcomed the distraction of lining up putts for the amateurs in his foursome and helping them navigate the course.
“It puts you in a place where it's like you're playing with your buddies,” said the American, who's had three top-10 Nationwide finishes this year after a disappointing 2007.
“Playing with amateurs relaxes you sometimes.”
Price, Dickerson and the other 158 professionals in the field at the inaugural Gretzky Classic are each paired with a celebrity or amateur for the first two rounds. Pros often don't enjoy the pro-am format because the rounds tend to take longer and the amateur players can be distracting.
But Price and Dickerson aren't among the complainers.
Price, who got his first Nationwide win this year at the Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship, shot his 65 at the Raven Golf Club, one of two courses used at the tournament. Dickerson carded a five-under 66 at the other, the Georgian Bay Club.
Greg Chalmers of Australia, Trevor Dodds of Namibia, and Americans Rich Barcelo, Dave Schultz, Randy Leen, Nick Malinowski, Hunter Haas and Scott Piercy were tied for second place at six under.
Bryan DeCorso of Guelph, Ont., and Brad Fritsch of Ottawa were in the group tied for 10th place. They were both at five under.
Two other Canadians were a shot back at four under: Wes Heffernan, a Canadian Tour regular from Calgary, and veteran Ian Leggatt of Cambridge, Ont.
The first round of the four-day tournament began under clear, sunny skies but thunderstorms and lightning moved in during the afternoon and delayed play for more than an hour.
Today's forecast calls for cloudy skies but no rain.
The top 60 professionals will make the cut after today's second round. The top six celebrities and top four amateurs will also survive to play on the weekend.
Nationwide rookie Colt Knost and retired hockey star Brett Hull lead the celebrity side of the tournament at 13-under 59.
Tied for second spot at 12 under were: Dickerson and broadcaster Gino Reda; DeCorso and Gretzky's wife, Janet Jones; Price and Ben Hayes; and Chris Smith and John Mowatt.
