Fourth of July Classic

'Mr. Fourth of July' tied at top with eye on No. 7

Chris Jenkins shot a first-round 60 and shares the lead with Ryan Turner and Tyler Reynolds at the Fourth of July Classic at War Memorial Golf Course in Little Rock.
Chris Jenkins shot a first-round 60 and shares the lead with Ryan Turner and Tyler Reynolds at the Fourth of July Classic at War Memorial Golf Course in Little Rock.

Chris Jenkins' pursuit of a record seventh Fourth of July Classic title was delayed a day, but that didn't stop the defending champion from ultimately grabbing a share of the first-round lead at War Memorial Golf Course.

Rain cancelled Friday's first round, turning the 79th version of the annual tournament into a two-day event, with the first round played on Saturday.

Jenkins, 45, who is tied with Arkansas State Golf Association Executive Director Jay Fox with six Classic championships, shot a 4-under 60 Saturday to put him in a tie for first with Tyler Reynolds and Ryan Turner.

"I didn't do anything all that well, and I didn't do anything bad," said Jenkins, who had five birdies and a bogey and stayed on top of the leaderboard by salvaging par on the 18th after his tee shot went left into the trees. Jenkins took advantage of the lift, clean and place rules in effect for the round, avoiding roots to punch out and onto the green 8 feet from the hole for a two-putt.

Jenkins' save from the trees came just moments before playing partner Beau Glover holed out for eagle with a 56-degree wedge from 67 yards. Glover took advantage of the untypical soft War Memorial 18th green to land the ball 2 feet behind the green and spin it back into the hole 20 feet away.

"That was pretty unbelievable," said Glover who finished with a 3-under 61, a stroke behind the leaders. "I was just trying to play it as far back as possible. Fortunately it hit the right spot."

Two-time champion Wes McNulty was playing in the same threesome with Jenkins and Glover. He also shot a 61 and will tee off in the next-to-last group with Glover and Colin Osment, who had a 62. It's a spot McNulty is comfortable with as he knows Jenkins will be hot on his heels behind him.

"You know as long as you follow Mr. Fourth of July, you're going to be within sniffing distance and close to the lead out here," said McNulty, who shot a 1-over 33 on the front nine before running off three birdies in his first four holes on the back to finish 4 under on that side. "If you told me I would be within a shot of the lead when I teed off this morning, I would have told you hallelujah. I was fortunate to get a lot out of nothing."

Reynolds is no stranger to being at the top of the leaderboard at this tournament. The UALR junior has finished second by a stroke the past two years.

Turner is playing in his second Fourth of July Classic. He finished 22 strokes behind eventual champion Alex Carpenter in 2010, but is confident he has another solid round in him today after Saturday's 6-birdie, 2 bogey round.

"I put a lot of shots together, but I left a couple out there, too," said Turner, who missed a 2-foot birdie putt on the 10th that would have given him the outright lead. "I had a lot of solid swings and solid shots to get up and down. The greens should be drying out a little bit and rolling a little better. I can see another 60 out here."

Sitting four strokes behind in a tie for 10th place is Joe Bushee, the 1990 champion. Bushee, 71, shot an even-par 64.

Jenkins rallied to win last year, catching Reynolds with a birdie on the par-3 17th and needing a two-putt par from 10 feet on the 18th. He said playing the ball up was a big factor in saving par on the 18th Saturday, plus having Glover and McNulty in his group wasn't taxing on him.

"Those guys hit it long and solid everytime," Jenkins said. "I'm just able to go out there and do my thing, limit the damage where I can, then hopefully put together another solid round tomorrow. The rest will take care of itself."

Sports on 07/05/2015

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