First round: Mediate opens with 71, but still causing stir

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Rocco Mediate opened with a 1-under 71, but he's still a hot topic this week on the TOUR.

GRAND BLANC, Mich. (AP) -- Rocco Mediate was simply exhausted.

RELATED LINKS

Pavin opens with 8-under 64
Six-birdie stretch for Warren
Mediate tired, still hot topic
First-round notebook
Buick Open transcript archive
Audio: First-round podcast
Photos: First-round action
Leaderboard: Thursday
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Pavin's perfect pitch

Physically and mentally.

After pushing Tiger Woods for five-plus rounds at the U.S. Open and doing countless interviews, Mediate didn't have much left Thursday in the first round of the Buick Open.

"I'm about to faint," Mediate said after signing for a 1-under 71 in the scoring trailer.

Mediate got a boost of energy moments later when he walked into the locker room.

Tom Lehman was the first of a few players to greet him with a hug or handshake and kind words about his showing in U.S. Open. Then, Mediate opened his locker and read the latest batch of handwritten notes from PGA TOUR peers.

"This whole experience has been unbelievable," he said.

Mediate's first tournament since falling just short of winning his first major might not last long.

He likely will have to improve upon his opening round on Friday just to make the cut at Warwick Hills, where players who don't reach about 3 under after two days usually go home.

Corey Pavin, Bo Van Pelt and Dudley Hart shared the opening-round lead at 8-under 64, a shot ahead of Briny Baird and Daniel Chopra.

Woody Austin was in a group at 66. Bubba Watson was in a pack another stroke back with Charles Warren, who had six straight birdies to tie the longest birdie-eagle streak this year on the PGA TOUR.

Jim Furyk was among a big group four shots behind the leaders.

Pavin, who closed strong to tie for 10th last week at the Travelers Championship, shot 64s in consecutive rounds for the first time in his 25-year career. He credited his Bulls Eye putter, a rare piece of equipment today on the PGA TOUR.

"It's a putter I got in 1984 -- brand new," Pavin said. "I used it for quite a while, probably up until about the middle of '95.

"Then, it took a break until last year. It was on the bench for over a decade."

• To read the remainder of this story, click here.

TRIVIA QUESTION

Can you answer this? Last year, Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club ranked as the 10th easiest course on the PGA TOUR, playing at a stroke average of 71.069 per round. What is the current course record and who holds it? See answer at the bottom of the page.

SHOT OF THE DAY ROUND OF THE DAY Top honors go to Todd Hamilton, who chipped in on the 18th for birdie from about 40 feet to finish his first round at 2 under after a choppy day that consisted of three bogeys and five birdies (including the chip-in on No. 18). Bo Van Pelt scorched his way through the course with a bogey-free, 8-under 64 that included an eagle on the par-5 seventh. Corey Pavin and Dudley Hart also shot bogey-free 64s, but Van Pelt gets the nod for the eagle.

EASIEST HOLE TOUGHEST HOLE The par-5, 580-yard 16th hole played the easiest in the first round of the Buick Open. There were 85 birdies, two eagles and only nine bogeys and nothing worse. It played to an average of .513 under par. The par-4, 435-yard 18th hole played the toughest in the first round. There were 35 bogeys, six double bogeys and one triple bogey, with only 14 birdies and nothing better. It played to an average of .231 over par.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Fourteen, I didn't realize I birdied three in a row. I got a deal with my wife which I can't elaborate on. But anyway..." -- Dudley Hart on consectuive birdies at Nos. 14-16 and some sort of deal with his wife that we won't ask any questions about...

PAVIN DOES IT HIS WAY, BEGINS BUICK OPEN WITH 8-UNDER 64
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents

GRAND BLANC, Mich. -- With the exception of the close-cropped hair that's now turned snow white, not much has changed for Corey Pavin since he turned pro 26 years ago.

Pavin

The former UCLA Bruin is still using the same Bulls Eye putter he first put in the bag back in 1984. He remains a little man in a big-hitter's game, but what else is new?

Over the years, Pavin has learned to play within himself and prosper. And Thursday's first round of the Buick Open at Warwick Hills was a perfect example as the diminutive 48-year-old fired a sterling 64 that landed him atop the leaderboard.

Pavin made eight birdies and refused to surrender a shot to par as he matched his best round of the year -- shot Sunday as he bolted into a tie for 10th at the Travelers Championship. He needed just 21 putts with that gleaming brass blade of his, too.

"I played nicely today," Pavin admitted. "My putter was working rather well. I just made some really nice mid-range putts today, and one kind of bombed. But I was in position and hit most of the fairways. So it was good. Good day."

As reporters filed into the interview room around noon on Thursday, Pavin sat in his chair busily sending a text message. So it's clear the 1995 U.S. Open champ and 15-time TOUR winner can change with the times.

At 5-foot-9 and 155 pounds, though, Pavin is simply not going to be blasting it by the likes of Bubba Watson -- who, by the way, he beat by three shots on Thursday. So he's resigned to being something of an anachronism in this power game.

Pavin ranks 196th in driving distance with an average of 262.1 yards -- some 50 behind Watson, the current leader. Conversely, only one player, Larry Mize, who turns 50 later this year, ranks below Pavin and that's by just 7/10ths of a yard.

• To read the remainder of this story, click here.

SIX-BIRDIE STRETCH PUTS WARREN BACK ON TRACK
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents

GRAND BLANC, Mich. -- A three-putt bogey on his first hole Thursday was hardly the way Charles Warren wanted to start the Buick Open.

Warren

"That was kind of a bummer," he acknowledged. Turns out, though, that adventure from 35 feet at the 10th hole was only a minor blip on the radar screen.

Once the putts started falling, Warren quickly regrouped. Starting at the 12th hole, he reeled off six straight birdies on the way to a 67 that left him three strokes off the lead held by Corey Pavin, Dudley Hart and Bo Van Pelt.

The birdie binge tied for the best streak on the PGA TOUR this year. It included putts from 7, 4, 10, 6 and 5 feet, as well as a bonus of a kick-in from 28 inches at the par-3 17th.

"Everybody knows there's lots of birdies on the back nine here," Warren said. "I felt like I got into a groove there, and that's the key to playing this course."

Warren couldn't maintain the torrid pace on the more difficult front side, but at least he has something to build on. Low rounds have been few and far between of late -- in fact, the 67 marked only his third round under 70 since he finished third in the FBR Open back in February.

So Warren has gone back to basics. His short game hasn't been sharp, and he's re-evaluated his practice sessions. He's worked on his mental approach, too -- trying to remain focused on the right shot at the right time.

• To read the remainder of this story, click here.

AUSTIN HOPING TO 'TIDY UP' AT WARWICK HILLS
There's something about Warwick Hills that brings out the best in Woody Austin. He won his first PGA TOUR event here in 1995, and he has four other top-10 finishes in the Buick Open, including a tie for second last year.

Austin

So it was no surprise to see Austin's name among the leaders after Thursday's bogey-free 66. Nor was it a surprise to have him come into the interview room frustrated that he didn't go lower

"I had a really good stretch," Austin said, reflecting on those four straight birdies on the back nine. "But I didn't birdie 1 ... or 16, so there's some work to be done."

Austin hasn't been able to maintain the standard that led him to his first $2-million season in 2007 and a starring role on the U.S. Presidents Cup team. He only has two top-10 finishes in 17 starts this year, and he hasn't cracked the top-20 since March.

"Really the score's my problem," said Austin, who takes self-deprecation to a new level. "I couldn't spell score even if you gave me all four first letters.

"I'm not playing really, really bad, but I get so frustrated by the end of the round that I start trying to hit shots that I shouldn't, trying to fit balls into the hole so close because I'm not making anything. And I end up missing some greens and making some bogeys, and so I shoot a lot higher than I've been playing for the last three months. I really haven't played that poorly."

Austin says he just needs to "tidy up" some things, though, and he'll be OK. Warwick Hills might be just the place to sort it out, too.

"It seems every so many years here the golf course allows me to make putts," Austin said. "I always drive it good so I'm not too worried about that part of it, and I give myself a lot of chances."

HART LOOKS OUT FOR NO. 1
Dudley Hart has been around the block, uh, Warwick Hills, a time or two. So the 39-year-old veteran wasn't worried when he saw players going low on Thursday morning as he awaited his 12:54 p.m. tee time.

Hart

"I think the more you pay attention to what guys are doing in front of you and what they did before you even start, the less chance you have of playing the way you need to play," Hart said.

"And the more pressure you put on yourself, oh my God, guys are shooting 6, 7, 8-under, I think if you think of that, I just find that over the years your chances of playing well go down when you start worrying about things you can't control.

"I know it's an old boring adage -- but you just have to worry about yourself and go out there and play the best you can."

Hart did just that, too -- making eight birdies in a round of 64 that vaulted him into a tie for the lead with Corey Pavin and Bo Van Pelt. He credits a practice session with short-game guru Stan Utley on Tuesday with getting him back on track.

"I feel like I can get the ball turning over the way I want to with the putter," said Hart, who rolled in birdies of 5, 16, 15, 13, 7, 2 and 5 feet while chipping in for another at the 10th hole.

"And it's hard to explain, but when you have that thing coming off the putter the right way, you feel like you can make some putts."

THINGS TO WATCH ON FRIDAY
1. Jim Furyk. Everyone's favorite this week is four shots off the lead and tied for 19th after the first round at Warwick Hills. Sure, it's not too exciting, but there's still a lot of golf to be played, and you should expect to hear a little more from this guy.
2. Corey Pavin. Why wouldn't you keep an eye on Pavin? He earned round-of-the-day honors in last Sunday's recap (see for yourself) with a 6-under 64 that rocketed him into a tie for 10th in Hartford, and he was back at it with the low rounds again on the first day at Warwick Hills. He's hit a hot streak.
3. Bubba Watson. You don't get to be the No. 1 driver on TOUR not taking advantage of courses that fit your game, and Bubba Watson showed that in the first round with a 5-under 67. Don't be surprised to see that pink-shafted driver tearing up the course the rest of the week.

TRIVIA ANSWER

The course record is 61. This record is shared by two people: Billy Mayfair (2001) and Tiger Woods (2005). Mayfair shot his 61 in the final round but finished with a tie for 14th place. Woods fired out his low score in the second round and went on to tie for second.