His playing partners had long since hit, but Jeff Klauk stood in the eighth fairway contemplating the swirling winds Thursday at the Country Club at Woodmore.
He pulled an 8-iron from his bag, stepped to his ball, and backed off. He put the club back and pulled a 9-iron, addressed his ball, and backed off again. Back to the 8-iron, Klauk finally pulled the trigger.
Thanks to unpredictable wind gusts of 30 m.p.h., it was a day of indecision, but ultimately a successful one for Klauk as he shot an 8-under-par, course-record 64 to take a three-shot lead in the Melwood Prince George’s County Open.
Klauk, a 30-year-old from Florida, has a two shot lead over Matt Weibring, son oflongtime PGA pro D.A. Weibring, and Monday qualifier Andy Bare.
“I hit it close,” said Klauk. “It’s windy but at least the course is soft. Being from Florida, I’ve played in the wind a lot. It was hard. It was definitely a couple club wind.”
Klauk not only grew up playing in the wind. He was weaned on one of the toughest courses in the country, the TPC at Sawgrass, where his father, Fred, was the superintendent for 23 years.
Klauk made eight birdies and no bogeys, needing just 24 putts. He got his putter going early, draining a 15-footer to save par on his first hole, No. 10, after hooking his drive in the woods. Klauk’s most miraculous putt came at No. 5, a 60-foot bomb over two tiers for a birdie.
“The whole key to the round was the first hole,” said Klauk. “That gave me a lot of confidence with the putter.”
This is Klauk’s seventh year on the Nationwide Tour. His lone win came in 2003. After a pair of top-five finishes this season, he is No. 12 on the money list. With a win this week, he would be guaranteed a top-25 finish on the money list and gain his PGA Tour card for the first time.
