Kirk Triplett shoots a 63 to lead after first round of Principal Charity Classic
Golfers from around the world competed in the first round of the Principal Charity Classic Friday in Des Moines, and some had surprise performances.
Kirk Triplett finished with a 9-under par score of 63, followed by Jerry Kelly, Ken Tanigawa and Brett Quigley with 65. Stuart Appleby and Bernhard Langer rounded out the top six spots, hitting a 6-under par 66.
“Sixty-three is a miracle,” Triplett laughed after finishing the first round. “I haven’t shot a low score in a long time. I’ve been making a lot of birdies, and I’ve been putting reasonably well all year. But I’ve been throwing up these roadblocks pretty much every round.”
Triplett was able to find success at Wakonda Club, with even bad swings making pars and him sinking a couple extra long putts.
Triplett will tee off at 11:45 a.m. on Saturday, alongside Kelly and Tanigawa. Quigley, Appleby and Langer, all in the next three spots, will tee off just before them at 11:35 a.m. Both groups will start from tee No. 1.
While some golfers finished better than expected, others struggled in the first round.
Where did notable PGA winners end up?
One of the more notable athletes in the field is the 2022 champion Stephen Ames. Ames won last year’s tournament at 12-under, and he entered the PCC as the No. 4 golfer among PGA Tour Champions athletes. He finished the first round tied for 40th at 1-under.
Steven Alker, the field's current No. 1 PGA Tour Champions golfer, finished Friday tied for seventh at 5-under. He won the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship last week and has already won three events this season.
Some competitors noted the condition of the course, which was only made better by the sunny day.
“The course is in fantastic shape,” said Kelly, who is tied for second. “There’s a lot less poa (grass). It’s really great putting surfaces right now. They’re beautiful.”
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Rainy weather could hit Des Moines this weekend
While Friday’s weather was almost picture perfect, golfers won’t be so lucky on Saturday and Sunday. There are showers and possible thunderstorms in the forecast for Saturday, in addition to wind gusts of 18 miles per hour.
With his performance on Friday, Triplett will get to play in the better weather later on Saturday, barring any shifts in the forecast. He is just looking to build off his performance on Friday — and maybe rely on a bit of luck.
“Cross both fingers and go,” Triplett said. “You’re trying to approach it the same way and when it gets going your way, you try not to ask too many questions and when it doesn’t go your way, same thing.”
The first tee time Saturday will be 9:45 a.m.
Alyssa Hertel is a college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Principal Charity Classic's 1st round ends with Kirk Triplett in lead
