Dunlap, Quinn share lead in Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs opener

RICHMOND, Va. — Scott Dunlap and Fran Quinn shot 5-under 67 on Friday to share the first-round lead at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic, the first round of the PGA TOUR Champions' Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs.

Fighting a left wrist injury that will require surgery, Dunlap matched Quinn with a closing birdie on the par-5 18th on The Country Club of Virginia's James River Course.

"Maybe excruciating pain is the key to playing good golf because I'm not getting nervous on a shot, you're just trying to get through it," Dunlap said. "The worst parts are gripping it and getting the club started ... that's when that bone hits that bone."

The top 72 players qualified for the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs opener. The top 54 on Sunday will get spots next week in the Invesco QQQ Championship in Thousand Oaks, California, and the top 36 after that will advance to the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix.

The 55-year-old Dunlap entered the week 29th in the standings. Playing through the wrist injury, he's coming off ties for ninth and seventh in his last two starts.

"I think I finally taped it the right way," Dunlap said. "Or maybe it's the pain meds kicking in. I don't know, one of the two."

Quinn is 64th in the standings.

"I finished up strong last year, too, kind of secured my privileges for the following year making eagle on 18," Quinn said. "I played solid all day. I had a lot of opportunities. A couple hiccups."

Jay Haas was a stroke back with Kent Jones, Stephen Ames, Woody Austin and Tim Petrovic. The 64-year-old Haas won the last of his 18 senior titles in 2016.

Vijay Singh and Miguel Angel Jimenez, second in the standings, were at 69 with Joey Sindelar, Tom Gillis, Billy Mayfair, Lee Janzen, Glen Day and Gene Sauers.

Defending champion Bernhard Langer opened with a 70. The 61-year-old German star won the SAS Championship last week in North Carolina to take the points lead. He has two victories this year and 38 overall on the 50-and-over tour.

Defending Charles Schwab Cup champion Kevin Sutherland had a 71. He's 14th in the standings. No. 3 Jerry Kelly shot 72. No. 4 Scott McCarron, the 2016 tournament winner, had a 74.

Fran Quinn, 32-35 – 67 (-5)
Charles Schwab Cup Standings – Start: 64th / Projected: 20th

• The 5-under 67 is tied for his best round of the season. He opened with a 3-under 67 at the Toshiba Classic en route to a season-best T6 finish, and he finished T13 after closing with a 67 at the Regions Tradition.
• It is just his eighth under-par opening round in 22 starts this season.
• This marks the first time Quinn is a leader after any round on PGA TOUR Champions.
• Last year, Quinn eagled the 18th hole on Sunday to finish T8 and move from 59th to 53rd, earning him a spot in the second Playoffs event.
• This is Quinn’s 55th start since turning 50 in 2015, and his best finish was T3 at the 2015 Boeing Classic.
• This is the second year he has qualified for the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs, and last year he finished 53rd in the final standings.

Scott Dunlap, 33-34 – 67 (-5)
Charles Schwab Cup Standings – Start: 29th / Projected: 11th

• Dunlap’s 5-under 67 is his best score in seven rounds at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic. Last year, he posted rounds of 69-68-71 and finished T18.
• Dunlap is coming off back-to-back top-10s (T9/PURE Insurance Championship, T7/SAS Championship). His season-best finish was T2 at the Cologuard Classic.
• This is the third time Dunlap has been a first-round leader/co-leader, and first since the 2016 Rapiscan Systems Classic. He is 0-for-2 in converting those leads into victories.
• He has finished in the top 25 of the final Charles Schwab Cup standings each of his four full seasons on Tour. His lone victory came at the 2014 Boeing Classic.

First-Round Lead Notes

• This is the highest first-round lead of the season, and it’s the second year in a row 67 has been the best first-round score at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic.
• Seven first-round leaders/co-leaders have gone on to win this year on PGA TOUR Champions: Jerry Kelly (Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai), Mark Calcavecchia (Boca Raton Championship), Bernhard Langer (Insperity Invitational, SAS Championship), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Regions Tradition), Scott Parel (Boeing Classic) and Steve Stricker (Sanford International).
• At this tournament last year, Langer went on to win after being one of four first-round co-leaders. Scott McCarron, the 2016 champion, was T3 after a first-round 67 and went on to win in a playoff.

Other Notes

• Jay Haas, a two-time winner of the Charles Schwab Cup, opened with a 4-under 68 and is part of the five-way tie for third. It was his seventh consecutive round under-par at this tournament, and his best finish was T6 in 2016.
• Making his first start in the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs, Kent Jones posted one of two bogey-free rounds on the day. He is T3 after a 4-under 68, his eighth consecutive under-par opening round.
• Tim Petrovic opened with a 4-under 68, just his second under-par opening round in his last seven starts. He has four runner-up finishes this season and at No. 10 in the standings, he is the highest-ranked player without a win.
• Rounding out the group at 4-under are Stephen Ames and Woody Austin. Ames’ best finish this season was a T3 at The Senior Open Championship, while Austin has seven top-10s, including three in his last five starts.
• Defending champion Bernhard Langer opened with a 2-under 70 and is T15. The four-time Charles Schwab Cup champion is coming off a 22-under total and six-stroke victory at last week’s SAS Championship.
• Scott McCarron, winner of the 2016 Dominion Energy Charity Classic, opened with a 74 and is T51.
• Miguel Angel Jimenez is T8 after a 3-under 69, his 11th consecutive round in the 60s. Entering this week, he led the Tour with a 68.95 scoring average. He has posted three straight top-five finishes and six top-10s in his last seven starts. In just 18 starts this year, he has 12 top-10s, tied with Langer and McCarron for most on Tour.
• Kevin Sutherland, the reigning Charles Schwab Cup champion, is T25 after a first-round 71.