Bryce AldertonGil Morgan finished before the rain...

Bryce Alderton

Gil Morgan finished before the rain hit and found himself in familiar

territory at Newport Beach Country Club after Friday’s first round of

the 11th Toshiba Senior Classic.

Morgan shot his best round in eight tournament appearances with a

6-under-par 65 in breezy, cloudy and cool conditions and took a

one-stroke lead over Wayne Levi and Tom Jenkins heading into today’s

second round.

Nine players finished 4-under 67 in the 54-hole championship,

while eight golfers tallied 68s on a day when the rain held off until

3 p.m. Then showers started falling, but only a handful of groups

were on the course.

Thirty-eight players finished under par while another 12 ended at

even.

“It was a typical Newport Beach Country Club day,” said two-time

Toshiba champion Hale Irwin, one of the eight golfers to card a 68.

“You were rewarded if you hit good shots, and if you hit bad ones,

you’d pay the penalty. I was happy with what I got.”

Several golfers said keeping the ball in the fairways was key, and

those who did found success.

Morgan, who finished second to Jose Maria Canizares in a nine-hole

playoff in the 2001 tournament and has placed third, fifth and sixth

among his seven prior appearances, found 13 of 14 fairways with his

drives and eagled the 492-yard, par-5 15th hole.

Not making any bogeys also helped Morgan.

“I tried to be aggressive,” Morgan said. “There are some holes,

the par 5s on the back, where you can take advantage of length. If

you do the right things, you’ll have short- to mid-irons into the

greens.”

Levi, who tied his best round at Toshiba -- he also shot 66 in

2003’s first round -- eagled the 510-yard par-5 18th, hitting his

233-yard second shot within 8 feet and sinking the putt. Jenkins

carded six birdies and a double bogey to tally his best round in this

tournament by one stroke.

“It was tough pitching out of the rough around the greens,” said

Jenkins, a five-time winner on the Champions Tour. “It was difficult

to get it up and down if you started missing greens.”

Defending champion Tom Purtzer shot 3-under 68 and is tied for

12th, but also eagled the 18th, hitting his second shot to 5 feet and

sinking the putt.

Morgan becomes the third player to take sole possession of the

lead after the first round in the tournament’s 10-year history.

The tournament has raised at least $1 million for charity,

primarily for Hoag Hospital, the last five years.

* BRYCE ALDERTON covers sports. He can be reached at (714)

966-4614 or [email protected].