First round: Four share lead at Travelers Championship
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) -- Johnson Wagner says he could shoot a 61 while playing the TPC River Highlands on his old Sega Genesis video game as a kid.
The actual course didn't give Wagner much more of a challenge on Thursday in the Travelers Championship when he shot a 6-under 64 to match Steve Lowery, Brad Adamonis and Englishman Brian Davis for the first-round lead.
With temperatures hovering in the low 70s F (low 20s C) and soft greens from rain overnight, conditions set up nicely for the field. Seven players were a shot back at 65, and another 16 shot 66s. Of the 156 players, 104 shot under par.
"We had no wind and it was just kind of there for the taking today with it being so soft," Wagner said. "But get a little wind and get this place firm and it's all you can ask for, so I'm happy to get a good round when I needed to."
Wagner, who is looking for his second career victory after winning in Houston this season, eagled the 296-yard 15th after hitting his approach shot within 18 inches of the pin.
Lowery also won this year, at Pebble Beach in February. He was the first leader in the clubhouse, after playing his first golf in almost two weeks. Lowery decided to skip this year's qualifying for the U.S. Open because he felt fatigued.
Lowery also won this year, at Pebble Beach in February. He was the first leader in the clubhouse, after playing his first golf in almost two weeks. Lowery decided to skip this year's qualifying for the U.S. Open because he felt fatigued.
He sat at home and played with the kids and watched the Open on TV. He practiced a bit, but said he didn't play a single round of golf.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I think I played (TPC River Highlands) on an old Sega Genesis PGA TOUR Golf a few times, too. [I broke par] all the time. I think my highest score was 61, so I've got some work to do." Johnson Wagner, after shooting 64 in the first round of the Travelers Championship
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
By Bruce Berlet, Special to PGATOUR.com
Cromwell, Conn. -- J.J. Henry felt he had been playing well but not getting the results, as shown by no top-25 finishes this year and four missed cuts in his last five starts.
So during two weeks off at home in Fort Worth, Texas, Henry watched DVDs of the final two rounds of his Buick Championship victory and playing for the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2006.
It paid instant dividends Thursday with a bogey-free, 4-under-par 67 that was his second lowest score in 51 rounds this year and put him near the top in the first round of the Travelers Championship.
"I was trying to get myself going a little bit and try to feel that momentum and see how I was swinging," Henry said of his DVD viewing. "To be honest, it still looks very similar. [In the Buick Championship] I made a lot of putts, and that's what I want to try to do the next three days."
The "very easy round" in near perfect scoring conditions was two strokes lower than the opener in his only TOUR victory. But it wasn't all easy for Henry, who grew up an hour away in Fairfield and often watched the tournament with his father, Henry, an accomplished player.
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IN HIS OWN WORDS: CINK'S DIET AND EXERCISE ROUTINE
By Stewart Cink, Special to PGATOUR.com
A balance between fitness and health with my schedule is hard. I'm not a model dieter, I tend to sample the fare wherever we go. I'm not afraid to dive in.
I work out pretty regularly in order to allow myself the occasional cheat, so the fact that it's Men's Health Month, it leads me to just a little bit more awareness of, 'Hey, let's push away from the table a little bit.'
To learn more about Cink's health routine, click here.
THE NEXT 20-SOMETHING STAR?
Get used to the name Michael Thompson. It's one you'll likely be seeing often in the near future.
Last week, Thompson made his second start in a major championship this season. Though he missed the cut at the 2008 Masters, he finished as the low amateur at the U.S. Open. His 72 on Sunday helped him tie for 29th at Torrey Pines, but the 23-year-old University of Alabama senior couldn't take a check since he's still an amateur golfer.
He earned a spot in this week's Travelers Championship, his first PGA TOUR-sanctioned event, through a sponsor's exemption. In his first round in Cromwell, Conn., the amateur fired a 5-under 65 and is beating nearly all of the TOUR pros.
"Being an amateur playing on the PGA TOUR, the first PGA TOUR event ever, just making a cut is a great thing, let alone playing well," Thompson said. "I kind of have the feeling this week that I'm treating it as an amateur event, no offense to the tournament itself. But for me that helps me calm down and play my game, not get all -- not get too excited, not get too nervous."
He plans to participate in the Palmer Cup later this month then will turn professional.
FROM HURRICANE KATRINA TO THE PGA TOUR
Compared to what Michael Thompson went through during his college career, his transition to the TOUR should be a piece of cake.
| 10 | Number of eagles scored in the first round. |
| 11 | Players without a bogey on their scorecard on Thursday. |
| 12 | The last dozen winners of the event have been American. |
Thompson spent three years on the golf team at Tulane University. Four years in New Orleans -- that's every college kid's dream, right?
"Just being in New Orleans playing there, going to school, had a great coach, Tom Shaw. It was a lot fun. Maybe a little too much fun at times, being in New Orleans, but every college kid goes through that phase," Thompson said.
Then Hurricane Katrina hit. The golf team relocated to Southern Methodist University in the fall of 2005 but was forced to disband several months later. Thompson received a redshirt the following spring and gained two full years of eligibility to play at the University of Alabama.
"It was crazy. Going through that, I really had no clue what the next day had for me," Thompson said.
The team evacuated to Houston two days before the hurricane hit and sat glued to the television as the levees broke and their city was destroyed.
"Then all these questions start flowing, haven't heard from coach in a while, waiting for his phone call. And then you get to SMU, you're an outsider. They started school three weeks before we got there, so we were already behind," Thompson said. "It was just a mess. I was rooming with some regular students there who weren't athletes, so they had their own time schedule, stayed up late, got up late. Being an athlete you go to bed early and get up early, you know?"
Now, several years later, Thompson is about to embark on a new phase of his life. But he isn't worried about the future just yet. This week, it's all about one goal -- to have fun.
"There's no pressure, there's nothing to lose, (I'm) just going out and playing golf and see how I do," Thompson said.
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A LITTLE R&R
Unlike many of his PGA TOUR counterparts, Steve Lowery didn't make the trip to Torrey Pines for the U.S. Open last week. Instead, he opted to skip the U.S. Open qualifier -- and thus ended his chance to make the field for the 108th U.S. Open -- for some much needed rest and relaxation.
"I just withdrew out of it (the qualifier). It was the day after Memorial, and it just was too much," Lowery said. "I was kind of tired after Memorial and Memphis, so able to get some rest and come (to the Travelers Championship) a little bit fresher than I have been."
It seems avoiding the golf course -- he only practiced a tiny bit and mostly spent time with his kids -- was just the right medicine. Lowery's 6-under 64 placed him at the top of the leaderboard with three others after the first round in Cromwell, Conn.
In 13 previous starts at TPC River Highlands, Lowery has missed seven cuts and finished no better than a tie for 14th.
"I think coming in rested and just -- I don't know, that's probably the biggest thing. I tend to play better. Irregardless of the golf courses, when I'm tired I don't do as well, and when I'm rested I tend to play better," Lowery said. "Hopefully I'll stay rested this week."
He's already earned one title this year -- "probably my biggest win ever," he said on Thursday -- at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. In that event, Lowery came from three shots back on Sunday, took a one-stroke lead then had to face World Golf Hall of Fame member Vijay Singh in a playoff.
The 47-year-old Lowery birdied the first extra hole to win for the first time in 199 starts. It was only fitting, actually, that he won in a playoff since all three of his PGA TOUR victories have come after going to extra holes.
In light of that, here's something Lowery might like to know. The Travelers Championship has gone to a playoff three times in the past four years and 19 times in its history.
BIRD WATCHING
Ken Duke didn't miss a single game of the NBA Finals last week. When the Boston Celtics trounced the Los Angeles Lakers, the man from Arkansas cheered as hard as any New Englander.
"I'm a big fan of the Celtics. Growing up, watching Larry Bird, he was my hero, my idol growing up," Duke said. "I played basketball, but just a big fan of the Celtics, hard-working, growing up, not a whole lot -- you always have to work for what you get, and I've always kind of looked up to him."
In fact, Bird's hard-work mentality is something Duke can relate to. His parents worked their entire lives and only retired just a few years ago.
"They've always had to work for what we had, and my two sisters and I have always had to work for what we have," said Duke, an Arkansas native. "Especially in this game, no one is going to give it to you, you have to go out there and earn it. If you don't do that, you won't stay out here."
Duke worked hard on Thursday, notching a 5-under 65 at TPC River Highlands. His seven-birdie, two-bogey performance moved him near the top of the ranks.
The Nationwide Tour Player of the Year in 2006, Duke is still looking for his first PGA TOUR victory. His best finish this season was a tie for 6th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard.
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THREE THINGS TO WATCH ON FRIDAY
1. Webb Simpson. Playing in just his second PGA TOUR event, Simpson shot 3 under on the first day. He got into the tournament on a sponsor's exemption. In his only other start on the TOUR, Simpson tied for 64th at the Stanford St. Jude Championship.
2. Familiar faces. Surprisingly, David Toms and Chris DiMarco haven't finished inside the top 10 this season. But after one round DiMarco is sitting at 4 under and Toms is one shot back at 3 under.
3. J.J. Henry. The 2006 champ had a blemish-free round on Thursday with zero bogeys on the scorecard. He is just two strokes off the lead with a 4-under 66 and is hoping to finish inside the top 10 for the first time all year.
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