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Ridings, Schultz on top in Colombia

Thu 4th, March 2010

Bogota, Colombia (Sports Network) - Americans Tag Ridings and Dave Schultz both carded six-under 65s Thursday to share the first-round lead at the inaugural Bogota Open.

Tommy Gainey posted a five-under 66 and was joined in third place by Daniel Barbetti and Bryan DeCorso.

Ridings started on the back nine at the Country Club of Bogota and opened with a birdie on the par-three 10th. He later birdied the two par-fives on the back nine, Nos. 13 and 18, to turn in minus-three.

On the front nine, the 35-year-old Ridings dropped in back-to-back 12-foot birdie efforts from the first to get to five-under. After five straight pars, he birdied No. 8 from 30 feet out to reach in at six-under.

"There are a lot of holes that you really have to be conscious of the trees here," said Ridings. "It's a shotmaker's course and maybe, being a little older like I am, I've got a little more experience doing that, like backing off drivers and such."

Schultz also started on the back nine and, like Ridings, birdied the 10th. He gave that stroke back with a bogey on No. 12, but rebounded with birdies at 13 and 14.

The 27-year-old turned in three-under thanks to a birdie on the 18th. Schultz caught fire down the stretch to gain a share of the lead. He birdied three of four holes from the fifth, his 14th, to join Ridings atop the leaderboard.

"I had trouble with the speed of the greens early in the round, but other than that I was real happy with the round," stated Schultz. "I was a little more aggressive than I thought I was going to be based on my practice rounds this week. You can play this golf course many different ways and I might play it completely different tomorrow as far as strategy goes."

D.J. Brigman, the 2003 Permian Basin Charity Golf Classic winner, carded a four-under 67 and he was joined in sixth place by Craig Barlow, Zack Miller, Jamie Lovemark, Mark Anderson and Gary Christian.

NOTES: This is the first PGA Tour-sanctioned event in South America...Brian Smock, last week's runner-up, withdrew during the round with back problems...Bobby Gates, who tops the Nationwide Tour money list, is tied for 39th as he opened with an even-par 71, one stroke better than Jim Herman, who is second on the money list.