Perry, Small share the lead at Senior Players Championship

Kenny Perry and Mike Small shot 7-under 65s to share a one-stroke lead in the first round of the Constellation Senior Players Championship on Thursday in Highland Park, Ill.

Bart Bryant, Glen Day and 2015 U.S. Senior Open champion Jeff Maggert were one stroke back in the fourth of five majors on the PGA Tour Champions schedule.

Defending champion Scott McCarron was in a pack at 5 under, while three-time Senior Players winner Bernhard Langer and Vijay Singh were another shot back at Exmoor Country Club. David Toms, coming off a win at the U.S. Senior Open, shot 2 over.

The 57-year-old Perry and 52-yearold Small — the longtime Illinois golf coach — each made eight birdies and one bogey. Perry is in contention for his fifth senior major to go with two U.S. Senior Opens (2013, 2017), a Senior Players Championship (2013) and the Regions Tradition (2014).

“I actually made some putts today,” Perry said. “I’ve had a tough year this year.”

Surgery on his right shoulder kept him out from November until late April. He has one top-10 finish in seven starts this season.

Adding to his difficulties, Perry’s back flared up on him last week. He bent over to pick up a club while practicing at home in Kentucky. Next thing he knew, he was on the ground and then rushing to see his chiropractor.

All that happened as he was recovering from a bout with strep throat. “I had played seven straight weeks in a row,” Perry said. “It was terrible . ... Seven weeks in a row was way too much golf for an old man, so I just said that was not what I needed to do anymore. Last week was horrible. I couldn’t do a lot. And then didn’t have a lot of expectations coming in here, but I hit the ball nice and finally made a few putts, and that’s why I shot a good score.”

Perry three-putted for bogey on the par-4 seventh and missed a 3-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th. Otherwise, his round was largely stress-free.

Bryant was 7 under before finishing with a bogey on 18. But he put himself in contention for his second senior victory to go with the 2013 Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.