Pros Take The Lead At Senior Open

WEST PALM BEACH – Both Lee Rinker, of Jupiter, and Jerry Tucker, of Stuart, shot an opening day four-under-par 68 to headline a bunched leader board entering Saturday’s second round of The Florida Senior Open being conducted at Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Rinker’s steady and bogey free round put him in good position going into day two where both Rinker and Tucker will compete on The Links Course.  Tucker’s steady play on the front nine took a turn on the back side where wind picked up and made play more challenging.  After back-to-back bogeys on holes 13 and 14, Tucker eagled the 15th hole, a par-four playing at 298 yards.  After the impressive eagle, Tucker gained momentum and birdied his 16th and 17th holes, where he finished at 4-under par and tied for first after day one.

Lee Rinker, a Stuart, Florida native, played college golf at The University of Alabama before turning professional in 1983. During his time on the PGA Tour, Lee finished second twice, captured eight top-ten finishes and eighteen top-25 finishes. His career year came in 1997 when he finished second to Tiger Woods at The Byron Nelson Classic and then finished second behind Gabriel Hjertstedt at The B.C. Open. He has also competed in The U.S. Open and PGA Championship a number of times.  In 2011, he joined The Champions Tour where he has placed in the top-ten three times.  Rinker comes from a very golf-oriented family.  His brother, Larry played on the PGA tour and sister, Laurie, competed on the LPGA.

Jerry Tucker of Stuart, Florida is a PGA Professional and is employed at Trump International where he instructs. Jerry has competed on The PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour, and now Champions Tour. During his time on The Champions Tour he has finished in the top-25 twice. Tucker was the 2010 South Florida PGA Section Player of the Year and the Southeast Chapter Player of the Year. He has also been a six-time recipient of the South Florida PGA Senior Player of The Year Award.

Currently, the low amateur for the tournament is Pete Williams of Juno Beach. Pete competed on The Links course where he fired a two-under par round 70 where he is currently tied for fifth.  Amateurs David McShera of Valrico and Richard Carroll of Jupiter are both tied for seventh at one-under par.

In this Championship, all participants will play eighteen holes each on the Lakes course and the Links course on Friday, August 10th and Saturday, August 11th. Bear Lakes Country Club is in immaculate condition for the competitors and contains challenges in its fast greens and well-placed bunkers. Bear Lakes has played host to both Florida State Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships, sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open for both men and women as well as the 1995 and 2001 PGA Tour Qualifying Finals.  Tomorrow, the field will be cut to the low sixty and ties after 36 holes. The final eighteen holes will be played on the Lakes course. The lowest score for 54 holes will be the Champion. If necessary, there will be a hole by hole play-off immediately following play in event of a tie for first place only.