At 51, Tim Jackson continues to roll along. The Germantown, Tenn., resident shot even-par 71 on Chambers Bay to find himself in the early mix. His secret? Patience. He shot two under through the front.
On the par-4 16th, he laced a 9-iron 145 yards to 3 feet of the hole. "I had a nice bounce. You never know what kind of bounce you'll get here," he said of the birdie.
Jackson shrugged off someone's question asking what it's like playing against competitors half his age. Each year he hears the same question.
"I'll tell you what I am," he said. "I'm a baseball player who started playing golf. I'm a competitor. It's the ultimate game."
With the way he's playing, there are no plans to take up bowling soon.
16th Hole
The 16th hole plays along the Puget Sound, tucked away below the hills at Chambers Bay. Maybe it made it easier to concentrate? In addition to Jackson's birdie, Will Bowman and Ryan McCarthy scored their own in exciting fashion.
Bowman, a senior at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, sank a 70-foot putt. He raised his right arm. He shot 7-over 78.
McCarthy, playing behind Bowman's group, sent his approach into a back bunker before holing out. He finished 3-over 74.