Aussie golfers Cameron Percy and Mark Hensby were among the few to break par during the first day of the Kaulig Companies Championship at Firestone Country Club in Ohio. Both players shot rounds of 1-under 69, placing them two strokes behind leaders Soren Kjeldsen from Denmark and Ricardo Gonzalez from Argentina, who both posted scores of 67.
Percy, who finished tied for 11th in this event last year, returned to Firestone after achieving his best senior major result with a tie for seventh at the Senior PGA Championship. Despite starting with a bogey on the first hole, Percy recovered with birdies on holes four, seven, ten, and fourteen before a bogey on seventeen left him two shots off the lead.
Hensby also made an impact with three birdies and two bogeys across his round. His performance included hitting just over half of the greens in regulation but showcased strong scrambling skills by successfully getting up-and-down six out of eight times. A birdie on the fourteenth hole secured his tie for sixth place alongside Percy.
Other notable performances from Australian players included Richard Green and Steve Allan, both tied for 17th with scores of 1-over 71. Green’s round ended with a bogey that dropped him outside the top ten late in play. Allan faced early challenges but managed to recover after an erratic start which saw him double-bogeying the first hole followed by two consecutive birdies.
The leaderboard also features Steven Alker from New Zealand tied for third place after shooting a round of 68.
Australasian Scores After Round 1:
– T3: Steven Alker (NZ) – 68
– T6: Cameron Percy – 69
– T6: Mark Hensby – 69
– T17: Richard Green – 71
– T17: Steve Allan – 71
– T29: Michael Wright – 72
– T29: David Bransdon – 72
– T36: Stuart Appleby – 73
– T36: Greg Chalmers – 73
– T56: Rod Pampling – 75
– T68: John Senden – 77
