Photo by Kyle Coburn/NAPGT :: Story by Stacia Golem/NAPGT
September 19, 2007 (Lakeville, MA)—Eric Egloff and Jeff Curl both shot an eight under, 64 tying for the lead after the first round of the LeBaron Hills Open.
Egloff, an NAPGT regular, has had a season of steady, but not spectacular playing; he has made every cut of the eight events he’s played thus far this year. But with his best finish tying for fourth at Crumpin-Fox, he has not been one of the top performers. That changed today.
“It was probably the most relaxed I’ve felt all year on the golf course,” he said. “I’ve had just a lot of stuff going on and I finally felt…like I was back to normal.”
Shooting a 33 on the front nine and 31 on the back, he made eight birdies in all, half of them on the last four holes to finish his round off strong. His bogie-free round was just a notch above his average, placing him finally in a coveted top spot.
“The game’s always been there, it’s just [now] the head got out of the way,” he said.
Curl, from Ellington, CT, is a Tarheel Tour regular. For his first NAPGT round this season, it was very comparable to Egloff’s, going 32-32, with seven birdies, one eagle and one bogie. For Curl, it was his great shots that gave him this score.
“I hit solid all day,” he said. “I kind of struggled a little bit on 10, 11, and 12; I had an easy shot for eagle or birdie on 10 and made par [instead]. I was a little disappointed.” Except for this little hiccup on the back side, Curl’s steady shots kept him going.
Always hovering at the top is Geoff Sisk, in third with a six under, 66, and Kyle Gallo is in fourth with five under, 67. So the leaders are cognizant of the fact that anything can happen in the next two days. On preparing for tomorrow Egloff said he will practice a little and think about how he felt during the round.
“Most importantly is to just remember how I felt, trying to stay relaxed for every shot,” he said. “Focused and relaxed.”
