There are rounds of 75 that on the first day can ruin your tournament. Then there are those 75s that Chris Francoeur fired at the Mayfield Sand Ridge Club in Chadron, Ohio, where you are left in an optimistic mood.
“Really, I didn’t play too poorly,” said the pride of Amesbury, Mass. “Just a couple of poor swings. But I hit it pretty well.”
It was the first round in the first stage of Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament, where pressure is exorbitant and an opening 75 can be disastrous, given that only 20-to-25 players advance. But Francoeur remained upbeat and, oh, how that paid off because he followed with 66-69-66. Not only did he breeze through but he nearly took medalist honors.