SNOQUALMIE — Seemingly as always after one round at the Boeing Classic, there is a crowd at the top of the leaderboard. The difference, heading into this weekend, is in which names populate those spots given how the PGA Champions Tour season has played out.

There are 15 players within three shots of co-leaders Woody Austin and Kevin Sutherland, including defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez, who eagled the 18th hole to climb to 4-under par, just two strokes behind.

Just another stroke behind after a 3-under 69 thanks to his own eagle at No. 18 lurks Seattle native Fred Couples. Couples didn’t really get anything going until the back nine.

He played the first nine in 1 over before birdieing the 10th. Followed with another birdie at No. 14 before following Jimenez’s eagle putt from about 25 feet with one of his own from 12 feet at the finishing hole.

While Jimenez and Couples got back into contention, guys on different trajectories most of the season set the pace.

“Going through a horrendous year this year and just hoping that at the end of the year something would show up,” Austin said. “Today was a good start. I mean, it’s just one day, but today was a good start.”

In 14 events this season, Austin has managed just a single top-25 finish all year. He, like co-leader Sutherland and Stephen Ames. who fell one stroke behind at 5 under after a bogey at No. 18, took three weeks off before coming to play at the Club at Snoqualmie Ridge this week.

But Austin felt good coming here.

“I’ve played good here in the past” Austin said. “I lost in a playoff (in 2016). I should have won in ’21, had the lead going into the last day. So I’ve got good memories of this place as far as playing well. Not winning, but playing well. It’s just a matter of staying healthy and making a couple putts, and I made a couple today.”

Austin hasn’t won on the Champions Tour since 2018. It’s been since 2020 for Sutherland, but the Sacramento native has three top 10s already this year coming off those three weeks without playing.

“I’m a fresh golfer,” said Sutherland, who still didn’t get close to the course record of 60 he set in the second round of the 2018 tournament. “The course is not playing easy. Everything is firm and it’s bouncy. It’s playing tough. But I’m fresh.”

Ames was in line to share the lead, as well, coming up the 18th fairway. But he missed his par putt to sit that single stroke behind in a successful season. He also has liked this course the previous seven times he’s played here — finishing in the top nine four times, including tied for third in 2022.

“I am very pleased with it considering I had three weeks off and played three times total over the three weeks,” Ames said. “Yeah, I’m quite happy with my performance today. At this age of our careers it should be like riding a bicycle. You get on the horse again and you should be able to just kind of fall back into where you were the last three weeks before you played, which is where I was. The main thing was the fact that I feel very energetic coming back because I had the three weeks off and I know I needed it.”

Tied with Jimenez for fourth is Harrison Frazar, who does have a top-three finish this year. Frazar birdied his final three holes to post the first of the 4-under scores on Friday. The man from Dallas began his round on Hole No. 10, so finished with Nos. 7-9.

Two other golfers had notable moments, but not by the end of their first rounds.

Mark O’Meara, who stepped past Tom Kite for the most appearances ever at the Boeing when he teed off for the 15th time in 18 years, struggled all day. O’Meara made six bogeys and a double while not carding a birdie en route to an 80.

On the other end of the spectrum, Boo Weekley made his first Champions Tour appearance ever. His debut was only slightly better than O’Meara’s 15th time at this tournament alone, at 75.

Weekley bombed his first drive right down the middle on No. 1. K.J. Choi went the opposite direction, yanking his first drive of the day outside the ropes to the right where it came to rest on the cart path.

Choi took relief and immediately righted the ship after the errant tee shot, shooting a 69 to join the large group of 12 golfers just three off the pace at 3 under heading into Saturday’s second round that begins at 10 a.m.

LEADERBOARD

Doug Drowley