Ben Crane is hunting his first PGA Tour Champions title, and the rookie made the loudest opening statement of the week on Friday at The Woodlands Country Club. Crane signed for a 7-under 65 to take a one-shot lead through Round 1 of the Insperity Invitational, holding off a four-way tie at 6-under that includes 2008 Open champion Boo Weekley, three-time DP World Tour winner Richard Green, eight-time international winner Thongchai Jaidee and second alternate Shane Bertsch.
Crane, who turned 50 last year, is making his first start as a full member of the over-50 circuit and arrived in Texas on the recommendation of one of the tour's most respected voices.
"Tom Lehman told me before we came here, 'This is the best event of the year,'" Crane said. "So I am thankful to be here."
The five-time PGA Tour winner — whose victories include the 2014 FedEx St. Jude Classic and the 2015 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial — has spent much of the past decade stepping back from full-time tour grind. His move down to Champions has not dampened his enthusiasm for the day job.
"I love the Champions Tour," Crane said. "This is the greatest place I've ever been to play golf. It's more fun. The guys are more relaxed. But everyone's grinding. You get to practice as much as you want."
Crane's round at the 7,002-yard, par-72 Tournament Course came on a layout that has been refurbished for this year's edition, and the early scoring suggests the redesign rewards aggressive lines into greens.
The chasing pack at 6-under is a study in tour-veteran depth. Bertsch, who started the week as second alternate before getting into the field, opened with an eagle on the par-5 first hole and added four birdies. The 54-year-old reflected on the unsettled life of a Champions Tour reserve.
"I've been in this position this year, unfortunately, just because of, you know, I'm not the greatest player last year, so I've been hanging around as first alternate," Bertsch said. He added that the structure of being on standby is its own challenge: "You could have a chance to get in and be out all of a sudden if you're not around at the course."
Defending champion Stewart Cink, who arrived in The Woodlands chasing a fifth title of the Champions Tour campaign, opened with a 4-under 68 and trails Crane by three. Cink's bid to defend takes on extra weight given that the field includes seven Hall of Famers, including Padraig Harrington, Retief Goosen, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Y.E. Yang, with Fred Couples also among the headliners.
Round 2 began on Saturday morning local time, with Boo Weekley charging early to take an interim lead at 8-under through five holes. Goosen, Jimenez, Charlie Wi and Jaidee all reached 7-under before the leaders had completed their front nines, signalling another low-scoring day at The Woodlands and a tightly bunched leaderboard heading to Sunday's final round.
For Crane, the next 36 holes will tell whether his rookie campaign on the senior circuit can convert a bright start into the maiden Champions Tour win his record book has been waiting for. Win or lose, he sounds like a man who has already found the part of golf he was looking for.