​AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Jerry Kelly, a two-time champion, grabbed the opening-round lead at the Kaulig Companies Championship with a 5-under 65 on Thursday at Firestone Country Club, one stroke ahead of Darren Clarke and Mike Weir. The 59-year-old Kelly, who has 13 PGA Tour Champions wins including majors in 2020 and 2022 on the South Course, thrives on tree-lined layouts. “I love a tree-lined golf course. It’s what I grew up on up in Wisconsin at Maple Bluff Country Club,” Kelly explained. “It gives me a visual, that’s why I’ve always been able to shape it both ways because I’ve had to shape it with the size of the trees that we have out there. So it’s very similar to home, just a lot longer.”
Clarke, with six senior wins, is 57 and kept himself in contention with a 4-under round. “Anytime you shoot under par at Firestone is a pretty good day,” Clarke said. “I managed to shoot 4 today. Got to keep on swinging the way I am and hopefully give myself more chances.”
Other notables at 67 included Zach Johnson and 2024 winner Ernie Els, along with Y.E. Yang, Cameron Percy, and Soren Kjeldsen. Johnson, who tied for ninth last week at the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic, was among the late movers. In the field, Charles Schwab Cup leader Stewart Cink posted a 69, adding to a season that has seen him claim four wins in 11 starts. Akron native Ryan Armour, who turned 50 in February, also shot a 69.
This marks the final year the tournament will be held at Firestone Country Club, ending a long association with the PGA Tour that began with the Rubber City Open in 1954. The event’s departure caps a storied era for Firestone fixtures on the summer schedule, as players and fans anticipate how the rotation and landscape of the tour will evolve in the years ahead.