After carding eight birdies on Tuesday at the PGA Head Professional Championship of Canada, John Cochrane takes a one-stroke lead into the second round over Fairview Mountain head professional Robert Tadey and Sirocco Golf Club head professional Craig Gibson.
Verrado Golf Club, just outside of Phoenix, was susceptible to low scores among those who managed to keep the ball on the winding desert-lined fairways.
Cochrane, who won in 2017 at TPC Eagle Trace in Florida, was consistent throughout the entire round, carding four birdies on both the front and back nines to shoot 65.
“The golf course is in great shape and the greens are rolling true, so if you hit your line, you’re going to make your putt,” said Cochrane, who operates his own golf school in Ontario. “The No. 1 thing is you have to keep your driver in play and I kept mine in play all the way through, which was the key to setting up the next shot.”
Besides one long putt and a chip-in from 30 feet, Cochrane’s birdies all came from within 16 feet of the cup.
“There are so many great players here, anybody tomorrow can go and shoot another 67 and I just have to stay steady,” said Cochrane. “I had the camaraderie of some great guys today and they played pretty well, which helps a lot. Being at a course like this is so enjoyable, I love this course.”
Thanks in large part to the play of Tadey, who is also tied for low club professional honours with Gibson, the British Columbia InterZone team, also consisting of Mark Kitts, Wes Doka and Nathan Grieve, leads the InterZone championship by four over Alberta and Ontario.
The leaderboards are here.
