RENO " Quite simply, the big stick failed ex-University of Nevada star Carlos Concha Jr.
Concha couldn't control his driver on the opening day of the PGA Tour Stage I Qualifying event Tuesday at Dayton Valley Golf & Country Club, and stumbled to a 2-over-par 74 .
A total of 35 players in the 77-man field shot par or better on the first day despite winds which reached 15 miles-per-hour. The first-round leader is ex-University of Minnesota star Clayton Rask, who shot a 6-under-par 66 and has a two-stroke lead over five players.
For Concha Jr., this is his fifth appearance at Dayton, and he hopes it's the year he finally reaches the second stage.
He's been close a couple of times, but one bad round always seems to leave him on the outside looking in. He had some bad luck last year when his putter broke and he was unable to replace the club.
"The second one (tournament at Dayton) I shot a 74 or 75 the last day and missed the number by a couple of shots," Concha Jr. said. "I'll keep going until I have no money. I love golf."
Well if Concha Jr. doesn't figure out the inconsistency with his driver, he may be back in Dayton next year trying to qualify. The former Nevada star said his play on the Butch Harmon Tour in Las Vegas has been erratic as his driver.
"The driver has been a bit of an issue," Concha Jr. said. "I've been losing it out to the right. That's what happened at the beginning of the day.
"I'm not long enough to hit a 3-iron or 3-wood off the tee."
A bad drive contributed to Concha Jr's only double-bogey of the day on the 453-yard par-4 14th. The former Nevada star, who started on the 10th hole, hit his tee shot in the water and was unable to recover. He added one more bogey on the front side to finish 3-over-par 39.
Concha Jr. played much better on his back nine, registering a 1-under-par 35.
"I righted the ship on the back nine," he said.
Despite the sub-standard opening round, Concha Jr. is confident about his chances. He knows the Dayton course, and knows it can yield some low scores.
"I just want to hit it solid and give myself an opportunity to make some putts," he said. "I'm very confident with my putter. If I hit it right there, I'm a good enough putter to make those putts."
Concha Jr. is not thinking about numbers. He'll try to take things hole by hole and shot-by-shot.
Meanwhile, Rask dominated the course with seven birdies and a bogey. He arrived in Nevada about 10 days ago, and has been living in a trailer in the parking lot of the course. Obviously the preparation helped.
"I putted the ball great today," Rask said. "The course is phenomenal. You don't qualify on your first-round score. I'm very comfortable with the course by now."
Among the group at 68 is Chris Kamin, who played on the Nationwide and Gateway tours this season. He had five birdies and one bogey.
"I played well," said Kamin, who is playing for the ninth time at Dayton. "I hit 16 greens which is pretty good in this wind.
"Nothing has changed with this course at all. We get the same weather every year. The conditions of the fairways are good. If you can't putt these greens you are in trouble. If you get the ball on line, it's going in."