FRISCO — PGA Frisco hosted its first official tournament as the 83rd annual KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship began Thursday morning at Fields Ranch East golf course.
The day started bright and early as local Dallas golf professional Cameron Doan of Preston Trail Golf Club took the first tee shot at 7:10 a.m. CT.
In front of a buzzing crowd and with Northern Texas PGA CEO Mark Harrison as his caddy, Doan teed the ball up and drove one right down the fairway.
“I was pretty amped up,” Doan told the media after his round. “It’s an honor to be able to do that for everything that’s going to happen here for the next 50 years. It’s an honor. It really is.”
Doan shot an even-par 72 in his first round, playing with fellow DFW natives Harrison Frazar and Paul Stankowski.
“I really didn’t even think about a number,” Doan said. “The first challenge was getting by that first tee shot. It was really cool to see that many people here, a bunch of Preston Trail members, a whole bunch of northern Texas members. I had some buddies come in from different time zones. So the juices were flowing pretty good. It took three or four holes I think to settle in and then it was playing golf.”
Three-time PGA major champion Padraig Harrington leads the field with an 8-under-par 64 after 18 holes.
Harrington won four PGA Champions Tour tournaments last year but finished 20th in the Senior PGA Championship, which he has never won. He had eight birdies and no bogeys during his morning round Thursday as he returned to the clubhouse with a lead that lasted the rest of the day.
“It was a good day,” Harrington said when he spoke with the media. “Everything worked well. Hit the ball well off the tee, as Rocco [Mediate] said, particularly straight off the tee which helps. I think I holed a couple of putts at the right time. I do think that you get days like that, and I don’t expect it to be like this now the next three days, but it was an easy 64.”
Katsumasa Miyamoto sits in second place at 6-under, and seven golfers are tied for third at 4-under.
Dallas’ Corey Pavin finished his first round with a 1-under-par 71 and is tied for 28th place.
Crowd favorite and former PGA winner John Daly withdrew before finishing his round because of an injury.
The KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship continues at Fields Ranch East through its final round on Sunday.