MIDLAND, Texas -- Esteban Toledo and Kevin Gessino-Kraft shot rounds of 8-under-par 64 Thursday at the WNB Golf Classic to grab the clubhouse lead. The afternoon groups were unable to finish as play was suspended due to lightning in the area.
Gessino-Kraft shot his best score since a 63 at the 2005 Chattanooga Classic. His round included a stretch in which he scored a 3 on eight consecutive holes (Nos. 7-14).
"If you have seen my scores lately, then you know why today was a fun round for me," the 36-year-old said. "I can't say I expected it today, but I got some good work done with my instructor, Justin Hill, this week and it looks like it paid off."
Toledo's round included seven birdies, an eagle and one bogey. It marks his best round since he shot 64 during the final round at this event in 2005. His best score on the PGA TOUR is a 63, which he shot most recently at the 2002 at the Invensys Classic at Las Vegas. Toledo currently ranks No. 43 on the money at $121,189 and has three top-10 finishes this year.
The 45-year-old, originally from Mexicali, Mexico, is playing for the eighth time at this event and has never missed a cut in his previous seven tournaments with finishes ranging from a tie for 14th to a tie for 37th. In 26 rounds at the WNB Golf Classic, Toledo has shot par or better 25 times.
"It must be the food here," Toledo said. "I always seem to play well at this tournament. The people here are wonderful. It's a great tournament on a great golf course."
Monday qualifier Scott Draper's name might sound familiar. The 32-year-old Australian is a former professional tennis player who won the Wimbledon junior doubles title before taking up tennis professionally in 1993. He reached a career high ranking of No. 42 in singles, but retired from tennis in 2005, shortly after winning the Australian Open mixed doubles title, to pursue a new career as a professional golfer.
Draper is playing in his fourth career Nationwide Tour event and has yet to make a cut. In February, he shot a final-round 7-under-par 65 to win the New South Wales PGA Championship on the Von Nida Tour, the Australian equivalent of the Nationwide Tour. Through nine holes, he was even par before play was suspended.
Play was suspended at 3:30 p.m. CT due to lightning in the area. Play resumed at 6:05 p.m. and then suspended again due to darkness at 7:22 p.m. The first round will resume at 8:10 a.m. CT. Second-round tee times will be pushed back to 9:10 a.m.
First-Round News & Notes: Jon Mills, who has made 10 cuts in a row, finished the first round with a 5-under-par 67. Ricky Barnes, who also has leads the Tour with 10 cuts in a row, shot a first-round 1-over-par 73. ... The weather delay is the third in tournament history. ... In the 15-year history of this event, only Chad Campbell and last year's champion Brandt Snedeker have led after the first round and gone on to win.
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