CHAMPIONS

• Bean, Goodes share lead in Alabama

  
  

  Hoover, AL (Sports Network) - Andy Bean and Mike Goodes both opened with rounds of seven-under-par 65 Friday to share the lead after the first round of the Regions Charity Classic.

  Bean collected his only Champions Tour win in 2006 at the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn, while Goodes is looking for not only his first tour win, but his first top-20 finish since joining the Champions Tour last year.

  Bernhard Langer, a two-time winner this year on the Champions Tour, is coming off a tie for 15th at The Players Championship, where he was one back after two rounds. Langer carded a five-under 67 Friday and is alone in third.

  Mike Hulbert, Bob Charles and Walter Hall share fourth place at minus-four after one round at the Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa.

  Lift, clean and place rules were in affect for the first round due to wet conditions.

  Bean played the back nine first on Friday and he opened with a birdie on the 10th. He collected back-to-back birdies from the par-five 13th.

  The 55-year-old moved to four-under with a six-foot birdie putt on the par- five 16th. Around the turn, Bean ran off three straight birdies from the first to jump to seven-under.

  Bean stumbled to his lone bogey on the par-four fifth.

  He atoned for that mistake with a 16-foot birdie putt on the eighth.

  "All in all a solid round of golf," Bean stated. "Maybe with the course being wetter it helped me keep the ball in the fairways. The greens were holding too." Goodes, a Monday-qualifier, had a streaky round to join Bean in the lead. He birdied the second and came right back with a birdie on No. 3. Goodes poured in three consecutive birdies from the fifth to climb to minus-five.

  Around the turn, Goodes moved within one of the lead when he holed a bunker shot for birdie on the par-three 11th. He grabbed a piece of the lead with a five-foot birdie putt on the par-five 13th.

  Goodes closed with five pars in a row to post his career-low on the Champions Tour and share the lead for the first time in his tour career.

  "I made very few mistakes and I got a break on No. 11," admitted Goodes. "It was a solid all around day for me. It was fun to play a good round." Not only is this his first lead on the Champions Tour, his best previous standing after any round was a share of 15th after the opening round of this event last year.

  Denis Watson, who is a two-time winner this season, posted an opening round three-under 69. He was joined in seventh place by Loren Roberts, Scott Simpson, Joey Sindelar, Jeff Sluman, Ian Woosnam and Bruce Vaughan.

  Champions Tour all-time wins leader Hale Irwin, D.A. Weibring and Sam Torrance are among 12 players tied for 14th at minus-two.

  Two-time defending champion Brad Bryant is tied for 34th after shooting even- par 72 in the first round.

  05/16 20:19:27 ET