Mark O'Meara takes early lead at Boeing Classic

SNOQUALMIE — Mark O'Meara figures if he keeps putting himself in position to win, his victory drought will eventually end.

The 52-year-old O'Meara, who has finished second seven times on the Champions Tour since joining the 50-and-older circuit in 2007, is back in position again after making an eagle on his final hole Friday to take a two-shot lead over four players in the Boeing Classic at the TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge.

"I've been out here two years now, and I know I haven't won yet," said O'Meara, whose last victories on the PGA Tour came in 1998, in the Masters and British Open. "I've had some opportunities, and sooner or later, if I keep putting myself in position, hopefully I can break through."

On the 18th hole, O'Meara hit a 3-iron from 206 yards to about 18 feet. He then made the eagle putt for a 6-under 66, breaking out of a five-way tie for the lead that included Loren Roberts, Allen Doyle, Mark McNulty and John Jacobs.

"It's a nice way to finish, but there are still two rounds left and a lot of good names on the leaderboard," said O'Meara, who won 16 times on the PGA Tour. "The difference is, I putted well. Last week [at the Tradition], I was number one in greens in regulation and didn't putt very well [and finished tied for 11th]."

A record first-day crowd of 17,500 saw plenty of good scores. Eleven players are three shots back after 3-under 69s, including defending champion Tom Kite and fellow Hall of Famers Nick Price and Bernhard Langer.

They are all chasing a happier O'Meara, who married wife Meredith on June 27 and said there are times now when he is "hitting the ball better than in '98."

"I met my new wife last fall and that's certainly had a big impact on my life," O'Meara said. "I am a very committed guy and I like to have a relationship. Meredith has been a breath of fresh air for me, and when you're happy off the course, it's easier to do a good job on the course. [Before], I wasn't very happy off the course, my game struggled, and I struggled emotionally."

Three second-place finishes and seven top 10s this year have certainly made his job more enjoyable.

"Now I am more focused and I am enjoying it more," he said. "I am putting more effort into my practice. Before I would be practicing because I needed to practice, but I didn't want to practice. I just didn't see any light at the end of the tunnel, and now I do."

Earlier in the round, it appeared McNulty might be the leader after shooting a 6-under 30 on his first nine.

"I was like Jekyll and Hyde," the Zimbabwean said. "It was like two different days out there. I wasn't thinking anything stupid after the first nine, but I was thinking maybe 1 or 2 under on the second nine. I am very disappointed with how I played the last nine, but if at the beginning of the day you said I would shoot a 68, I would have been happy with that."

Perhaps the biggest surprise among the early leaders is Jacobs. The 64-year-old retired a couple of years ago and is allowed to play just 11 events a year as a retiree.

"You trick the mind to believe you can still play," said Jacobs, a five-time winner on the Champions Tour who had played just once in the past three months. "It's a beautiful thing when you can trick the mind."

The oldest winner on the Champions Tour was Mike Fetchick, who won on his 63rd birthday in 1985. It's a mark Jacobs wants to break.

"Believe me, I have thought about it," he said. "And if I behave myself, it will eventually happen."