Live Report: Waste Management Phoenix Open, Round 1
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ALL DONE (8:41 p.m.): The first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open has been completed with 83 players breaking par -- led by Camilo Villegas' round of 62. He owns a one-stroke lead over his former teammate at the University of Florida, Matt Every, who is a rookie on the PGA TOUR this year.
The group at 6 under includes Scottsdale resident and former Arizona State golfer Pat Perez. Also in that group are Justin Rose, Mark Wilson, Ryuji Imada and hot-shot rookie Rickie Fowler. Fowler's 65 was his low as a member of the PGA TOUR. -- Helen Ross
LEFTY LOOKS AHEAD (8:30 p.m.): Phil Mickelson's ball-striking was spot on Thursday as he hit 12 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens. He putted reasonably well, too, using just 27 but is still looking for some improvement with the flat stick.
"I feel like I'm playing well and I'm hitting the ball well and I'm putting myself in good position to score well, but the critical putts that I need to fall haven't quite yet," Mickelson said. "But they don't feel like they're far off. They don't feel like they're missing by a bunch."
Mickelson played in the afternoon Thursday when there were nine fewer sub-par rounds shot at TPC Scottsdale. The two-time champ is eager to see what he can do with lighter breezes and smoother greens on Friday morning.
"It might have been fractionally more difficult because of the wind, but I thought there were still a lot of birdies out there," Mickelson said. "I thought there were still some low rounds. I'm excited to tee off at 8 tomorrow and we're going to have smooth greens and hopefully calm conditions, and if I can get a hot putter, maybe shoot a low round and get in it for the weekend." -- Helen Ross
PRACTICED EYE (8:16 p.m.): Joe Durant says a session with Jimmy Ballard last fall has helped him work out some kinks in his swing. Rocco Mediate actually suggested Durant go see the instructor and the advice has proven invaluable.
"I thought I was more of an upright swinger," Durant explained. "I had really gotten flat and around, and Jimmy, he just kind of took a couple looks at me and said, hey, let's see you get the club a little more up instead of around. I feel like I'm tracking the club down a much better plane now. I'm still working on it, got a ways to go, but I'm hitting a lot better shots."
Durant, who tied for second last week in Mexico, said he feels like he's on the right track now. The four-time PGA TOUR champ spent a lot of time on the range during the offseason with a "plan and a purpose" and the dividends show in rounds like the 66 he posted Thursday.
"It does feel very familiar," Durant said. "I was getting to the point where I was thinking that my body was starting to hurt. It had never hurt before, but because of the swings that I had been making, I couldn't keep doing it. It feels pretty good." -- Helen Ross
SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF (7:55 p.m.) Pat Perez will have bragging rights when he gets home. He's hosting Ian Poulter this week, and the lanky Brit, who won his first PGA TOUR event last weekend, shot 1 over -- although those two birdies in his last four holes will likely make dinner go down a bit easier.
Perez, on the other hand, just made a 23-footer at the 18th hole to polish off a bogey-free round of 6-under 65. The score tied his tournament low which was shot in the second round of the 2008 event.
Perez, who played golf at nearby Arizona State, got the day rolling with an 8-footer for birdie at the second hole. He then got up-and-down from the bunker at the third hole and added another from 12 feet at No. 7 to turn in 32.
A 5-footer at the par-5 13th moved Perez, who won the 50th Bob Hole Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer last year, to 4 under. The consecutive birdies at Nos. 17 and 18 then put him three strokes off the lead. -- Helen Ross
PHIL'S DONE (7:35 p.m.): The crowd at the 16th hole was deflated when Phil Mickelson missed a 7-footer for par. But those who elected to vacate golf's most famous arena and walk with him saw Lefty rebound, getting up and down for birde from the right side of the green at the driveable par-4 17th.
Mickelson had another birdie opportunity at the 18th hole but he couldn't get the 25-footer to go in the hole. So the former Arizona State standout finished at 3 under, which left him six strokes behind Camilo Villegas. -- Helen Ross
BEST START YET (7:05 p.m.): Arnold Palmer's grandson, Sam Saunders, is quietly putting together what could be his best round as a pro Thursday at TPC Scottsdale. He's currently 4 under through 13 holes after making four birdies and dropping no shots to par.
Saunders elected to forgo his senior year at Clemson and is playing in his third PGA TOUR event of 2010. He made his pro debut at the Bob Hope Classic, shooting 6 under and missing the cut. He tied for 70th at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and picked up his first paycheck of $11,842. -- Helen Ross
CRYSTAL BALL (6:35 p.m.): On Monday, PGATOUR.COM's Craig Dolch wrote a nice column about Joe Durant, who tied for second last week at the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun.
Dolch talked about what a streaky player Durant has been during his career and wondered aloud whether the TOUR veteran was about to embark on another run of good play. So it should probably come as no surprise to see Durant among the leaders at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Durant, who punched his ticket to Arizona with the top-10 finish south of the border, has made seven birdies and dropped just two shots to par. He's 5 under through 17 holes and among a big group tied for seventh at TPC Scottsdale. -- Helen Ross
CHIP OFF THE BLOCK (6:15 p.m.): In the last six months, Kevin Stadler has come close to winning two tournaments his father, Craig, did -- in Greensboro and Los Angeles. He lost in a playoff at the Wyndham Championship last year and tied for 10th at Riviera earlier this month.
The elder Stadler didn't live a charmed life in Phoenix, though, as he never finished higher than a tie for 13th in 1980 and '82. But Kevin is getting off to a strong start -- playing is first 16 holes in 5 under.
The baby Walrus' round didn't start auspiciously on the back nine with a bogey at the 12th hole. But he rebounded with a 23-footer for eagle at the next and a 7-footer for birdie at No. 14.
Stadler then drove the green at the 320-yard 17th and two-putted from 48 feet before closing out the nine with a 22-footer for his third birdie. He got it to 5 under with a 23-foot birdie on the par-3 fourth. -- Helen Ross
PHIL UPDATE (5:45 p.m.): Much to the ample crowd's delight, Phil Mickelson just tapped in for birdie at the par-4 10th hole after a deadly approach left him 14 inches from the hole.
The former Arizona State standout currently stands 2 under. He birdied his first two holes on putts inside 6 feet. then gave a shot back at the par-5 third when he had to hack out of the right rough and eventually missed a 4-footer for par.
Mickelson made another birdie putt at the sixth hole from 10 feet but he couldn't get up and down from the back of the greenside bunker at No. 8. The big lefthander has a ways to go to catch Camilo Villegas, who is setting the pace at 9 under. -- Helen Ross
OLDIE BUT GOODIE (5:30 p.m.): The last four times Fred Couples has played at TPC Scottsdale, he has missed the cut. In fact, he's only broken par twice in those eight rounds.
Couples is playing like he's going to be around a while this week, though. He's 5 under through 11 holes, starting on the back and shooting a red-hot 31.
The ageless Couples, who turned 50 last October, has only played in one other PGA TOUR event this year, tying for 37th at the Northern Trust Open. But he won his first Champions Tour event on Valentine's Day and finished second in the other. -- Helen Ross
DRIVE AND SHOW (5:18 p.m.): A year ago, Rickie Fowler was still a student at Oklahoma State when he tied for 58th at TPC Scottsdale. His low round in four days was a respectable 66 -- but the young phenom in the the painter's cap did one better in his return as a PGA TOUR member on Thursday.
Fowler didn't make a bogey in his round of 65 that put him in a tie for third, three strokes behind Camilo Villegas at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. He hit 10 of 14 fairways, all but three greens and used just 28 putts. He averaged 296 yards off the tee, as well.
"I was pulling (the driver) a little bit, but straightened it out and managed to hit some fairways," Fowler said. "Hitting greens and hitting the ball almost 300 definitely helps put yourself in good position.
"It's a lot different than last year. Last year it played really firm, ball was going a lot longer, but it's getting close. The course has dried out quite a bit just today, this afternoon. Looking forward to playing tomorrow when the course is going to be a lot different than it was this morning." -- Helen Ross
ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT (5 p.m.): Make no mistake about it. Camilo Villegas would have loved to have made the 25-inch putt to extend his semifinal battle with Paul Casey in the World Golf championships-Accenture Match Play Championship last Sunday.
But he didn't and he's moved on. Four days after he finished third at Dove Mountain, Villegas finds himself leading the Waste Management Phoenix Open after shooting 9 under -- and even more committed to the work he did during the offseason with mental coach Gio Valiante.
"The way I'm approaching it is just, again, have fun," Villegas said. "Just go out there and I've got nothing to lose. You go, you hit a putt, if it goes in, great; if it doesn't, you just give a little smile and go to the next one. It seemed to work last week. I obviously played good today, and we'll continue that good attitude and see what happens."
Villegas, who won two PGA TOUR events in a breakthough 2008 season, had gotten too wrapped up in extraneous things. He only missed three cuts worldwide last year, but he wasn't really contending, either, so something had to be done.
"When you're a rookie, you've got nothing to lose," Villegas said. "You come out here, you're trying to have fun, trying to play good golf, and you're a little more free. Five years later, I mean, won a couple times, got to seven in the world, obviously a lot of distractions, media, world rankings, all the stuff that starts coming around, and it just distracts you.
"I was getting a little too concerned with my world ranking position and the money list and this and that, and I just got a little tight on the golf course. So I needed to put all those things aside and remember that I'm playing golf for a living, and there's a million people out there that would love to be in my shoes and have fun with it." -- Helen Ross
THE SKINNY ON 16 (4:40 p.m.): The par-3 16th hole gets all the attention at TPC Scottsdale. It's the rock concert of the PGA TOUR with 20,000 fans stuffed into the seating around it and boos for the bad shots and cheers for the good ones. While it's certainly the most intimidating hole players face from that standpoint, the hole itself is far from difficult. Right now, the scoring average for No. 16 is 2.874 with 15 birdies, 68 pars and just four bogeys. Add that up and it ranks as the fourth-easiest hole on the golf course. As for the best shot there today? Joe Durant's tee shot that landed just 1 foot, 1 inch away. The worst? Michael Sim's tee ball, which came up some 40 yards short and right of the pin. -- Brian Wacker
BACK ON TRACK (4:25 p.m.): Matt Every would be the first to tell you that every -- no pun intended -- shot counts on the PGA TOUR. But if there ever was a time for the rookie to be disqualified last week might have been it.
When Every signed an incorrect scorecard after the third round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun, he was at the back of the pack. And besides, turns out he has a great story to tell.
Every was playing in Mexivo with Mark Calcavecchia, who was his favorite pro when he was growing up. His father used to take him to Bay Hill or THE PLAYERS Championship and Every was always in Calc's gallery.
"So Saturday I got to play with Mark, so it was really cool for me," Every said. "I've met him before, but it was neat that I got to play with him. So iit was the perfect storm."
Every wasn't happy after he made a double bogey on the 18th hole. Calcavecchia tossed the card to Every, who didn't bother to check the numbers before he signed and turned it in. He called it an "immature" reaction on Thursday in Phoenix.
"I was like 40 yards out of the scoring area, and they called me back in," Every said. "I think he had a 3 down on No. 6 and I made a 4, so I got DQ'd. It's 100 percent my fault, and he felt horrible, but it's in no way his fault.
"He's still my favorite player, and he was a blast to play with. You can't even make something like that up, though. When I was 10, if somebody would have came up and said, oh, you know, you're going to get to play with this guy in 15 years and you're going to get DQ'd, I would have been like, yeah, right."
Every has shaken the disappointment off well, too. He made eight birdies, including six in a row as he made the turn, to shoot 8 under and finish one stroke off the lead. -- Helen Ross
GOOD START (4:03 p.m.): Trevor Immelman has just made his first birdie of the 2010 season -- rolling in a 12-footer at the par-5 13th hole, his fourth of the day.
The 2008 Masters champion is playing in his first tournament since Oct. 22 surgery on his left wrist. He wasn't able to start putting until just before Christmas and he played his first nine holes about a month ago. -- Helen Ross
UNFAMILIAR NAME (3:45 p.m.): Ben Fox is making his fourth start on the PGA TOUR -- and he's making it count, shooting 67 that is a career low for the 22-year-old. He was tied for seventh, too, until he made bogey on the final hole.
Fox, who missed the cut last week at the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun, was one of the four Monday qualifiers for the Waste Management Phoenix Open. He played collegiately at the University of Arizona and won the 2006 Southwestern Amateur.
Fox has played in three previous TOUR events and has yet to make the cut. His lowest previous score in six rounds on TOUR was a 68 in Mexico two years ago. -- Helen Ross
EVERY ON FIRE (3:33 p.m.): A week ago, Matt Every went home early after signing an incorrect scorecard following the second round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun. It's a safe bet he won't make the same mistake today -- Every is 8 under and one off the lead with two holes left in his opening round in Phoenix.
The former University of Florida standout made six-straight birdies at one point, beginning on No. 17 and stretching through to No. 4. That has the rookie on pace for a career score in his young PGA TOUR career. Every's best round so far was an opening 65 at the Farmers Insurance Open, where he tied for 15th, also his best result of the year so far. One reason Every has played so well today: He's putted extremely well with 10 one-putts and 22 overall after hitting 12 of 16 greens in regulation. -- Brian Wacker
RECORD LOW FOR VILLEGAS (3:17 p.m.): Camilo Villegas just finished up an impressive 9-under 62 -- the lowest round he has carded in his PGA TOUR career.
Villegas, who turned pro in 2004, has carded 63s on four occasions, the last coming in 2009 at the RBC Canadian Open.
The 62 also ties the tournament low previously set by Steve Jones in 1997 and Harrison Frazar in 2003, as well as J.C. Snead in 1973 when the tournament was held at Arizona Country Club. Only Jones went on to win.
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FOWLER FLYING (2:58 p.m.): Rickie Fowler is working on what could be his low round as a TOUR member after making birdie on three of his last four holes.
The two-time All-American at Oklahoma State is currently 5 under through 15 holes. He chipped in for his first two birdies at Nos. 6 and 9, then made a 14-footer at the 12th hole, a 6-footer at No. 13 and a 10-footer at the 15th.
Fowler nearly won the Frys.com Open last year in his second PGA TOUR start after turning pro. He earned his card at q-school and has had mixed results in 2010 -- missing three cuts, but also posting a tie for fifth at the Farmers Insurance Open. -- Helen Ross
GOOD DECISION (2:45 p.m.): Justin Rose put a new driver in his bag and it paid off on Thursday during the first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Using the new TaylorMade Burner SuperFast driver for the first time in competition, Rose averaged 292 yards off the tee -- which is about 7 yards more than his year-to-date stats. He hit two drives of 300 or more on the front nine and hit 10 of 14 fairways, too.
"I flushed it," Rose said. "I just kind of made an impulse decision yesterday. I was hitting the other one half decent, but just something didn't feel right. I changed and really drove it well today."
Rose said TPC Scottsdale was there for the taking on Thursday -- particularly the par 5s. The greens are still soft from Monday's rain, and there could be more on the way on Saturday. He putted well, too, although he was frustrated by that three-putt for bogey on the 18th hole.
"I played well today," Rose said. "Eight birdies was good. The course was there for the taking today. Really calm, beautiful conditions to play golf. It warmed up after about three or four holes to get the sweater off.
"Bookend bogeys beginning and end, but 18 I couldn't really do anything about it. I contemplated chipping my putt from four feet. I had a spike mark in front of me that was in the worst possible spot because I couldn't hit it high enough to die it in, so I had to kind of take a firmish line for that four-footer.
"It would be kind of weird to see someone chip it from four foot, but I nearly did it. I just couldn't quite trust myself to do it." -- Helen Ross
BY HIMSELF (2:20 p.m.): Camilo Villegas is alone at the top of the leaderboard now at 8 under.
Justin Rose bogeyed the 18th hole, three-putting from 24 feet, to finish with a 65 while Ryuji Imada couldn't get up and down from the front of the fifth green and is now 6 under though 14 holes. Villegas just birdied the seventh hole, his 16th of the day.
Rose and Imada are tied with Mark Wilson and Matt Every, who was an alternate at the start of the week but made his way into the field when Harrison Frazar withdrew.
The 2006 Florida grad is a rookie on TOUR this year after finishing 10th on last year's Nationwide Tour money list. He's cashed two checks in four starts this year, tying for 15th in San Diego and 27th at Pebble Beach. -- Helen Ross
GAINING GROUND (2:05 p.m.): Ryuji Imada has just picked up consecutive birdies to pull into a tie for then lead with Camilo Villegas and Justin Rose.
Imada made a 6-footer at the second hole and a 7-footer at the par-5 third to move to 7 under though 12 holes. He is making his sixth start of the season with a high finish of ninth at the Farmers Insurance Open. -- Helen Ross
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE? (2 p.m. ET): Nothing like a home game for Tom Lehman, who lives in Scottsdale and won what is now called the Waste Management Phoenix Open in 2000.
Lehman, who turns 51 on March 7, is playing well again, too. He's 4 under through 15 holes after making six birdies and dropping just two shots to par. He's tied for sixth, three strokes off the lead, as a result.
The Waste Management Phoenix Open is Lehman's second on the PGA TOUR this year. He tied for 12th at the Sony Open in Hawaii and has finished fourth and tied for fifth in his first two starts on the Champions Tour. -- Helen Ross
WHIRLWIND WEEK (1:45 p.m.): Ian Poulter has barely had time to catch his breath since Sunday when he beat Paul Casey to win the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.
He was in Palm Springs, Calif., bright and early Monday morning to film a commercial for Cobra. The shoot started at 6:30 a.m. and finished at 7 p.m. Then he hopped a plane to Scottsdale, where he's staying at the home of fellow TOUR pro Pat Perez.
"So had dinner with Pat in the evening, fell asleep, woke up and hit a few putts (Tuesday) lunchtime, went back, fell asleep, and here we are," Poulter said on Wednesday.
Poulter had sounded iffy Sunday evening when asked whether he would still be making his Waste Management Phoenix Open debut. He didn't make the final decision until Tuesday night after he talked with his agent, deciding that it would be difficult to fit another tournament into a tight schedule on the PGA TOUR and European Tour in this Ryder Cup year.
Now that he's here, though, Poulter is ready to make the most of it. He's playing with Phil Mickelson and Ryan Palmer during the first two rounds, so he knows the fans will turn out and he's looking forward to the "electricity." The group tees off No. 1 at 2:44 p.m. ET.
"Game is in good shape," Poulter said. "... The course is good. 16th will be very interesting tomorrow. I'm playing with Phil, so I reckon ... it will be loud by the time we get there for sure, so I'm looking forward for this crowd to giving me a bit of adrenaline and hopefully pull me through this week." -- Helen Ross
REBOUND ROSE (1:25 p.m.): Justin Rose's round didn't get off to a stellar start when he couldn't get up and down for par at No. 1. He's more than compensated, though, with seven birdies to move to 6 under and into a tie with Camilo Villegas.
The Englishman has been particularly hot over the last eight holes, making six birdies, including four in a row beginning at No. 8. His birdie putts during that stretch came from 25, 14, 6 and 6 feet.
Rose, who is looking for his first PGA TOUR win, has two top-25s in his first four starts this year. He has three holes remaining in his first round at TPC Scottsdale. -- Helen Ross
EARLY EXIT (1:10 p.m.):: Daniel Chopra withdrew from the Waste Management Phoenix Open prior to the start of the first round on Thursday morning -- and it's hard to imagine a better reason.
Chopra became a father for the first time Wednesday night -- not once, but twice -- as his wife Samantha delivered twins Coco and Casper in Orlando. No telling what their dog, Cosmo, thinks of the events.
Chopra was replaced in the field by Kevin Johnson. -- Helen Ross
WHERE HE LEFT OFF (12:55 p.m.): Camilo Villegas hasn't lost a beat since he finished third at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship on Sunday.
The young Colombian, a two-time winner on TOUR in 2008, started on the back nine at TPC Scottsdale and proceeded to reel off six birdies. His 30 is one stroke off the record held jointly by J.J. Henry (2006), Scott Verplank (1998) and Grant Waite (1996).
In case you were wondering, the lowest score on the front nine is 28, which was shot by Chris DiMarco in the third round of the 2008 tournament. And the course record is 60, held by Phil Mickelson (2005), Marck Calcavecchia (2001) and Waite (1996). -- Helen Ross
GLAD TO BE BACK (12:45 p.m.): Kenny Perry calls the Waste Management Phoenix Open one of his top five tournaments on the PGA TOUR. He says TPC Scottsdale, which offers a variety of risk-reward holes, is fun to play and he loves the atmosphere and raucous crowds.
When he won a year ago at the age of 48 years, 3 months and 21 days, Perry became the oldest champion in the tournament's 75-year history. Now he's trying to become the first to successfully defend his title since Johnny Miller did in 1975. He doesn't think much of his chances, though.
"People have been asking me do you think you can defend, and my answer was no," Perry said. "But that's an honest answer. I'm just going to have to figure out a way to get it going like I did last year and be patient. I know I'm going to have to shoot 15 under -- plus."
Perry, who turns 50 in Augusta, has only played twice this year. He tied for sixth at the winners-only SBS Championship and lost in the first round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship last week.
"I've been having some elbow issues this year that's really been aggravating me," Perry said. "... It's really hampered my ability to practice. I went down and saw Dr. Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama, and he just said I was old.
"It was just tendonitis, basically what everybody kind of deals with, and it's really hampered my ability to take the golf club back. It's the bending of my right arm has really been killing me. I've really been very concerned about that this year.
"I've kind of been home resting and hoping rest would kind of solve the problem, but it's actually not. I'm actually in the same situation now that I was when I started the year. I don't know how that's going to turn out, but ... it'd be crazy for me to think I could come in here and win it back to back."
Maybe not that crazy. Perry was out early, and he's 3 under through 8 holes. One of those birdies came at the 16th hole. -- Helen Ross
SUNNY SKIES (12:30 p.m. ET) -- Hard to imagine a better day at TPC Scottsdale. The sunrise was spectacular and the temperatures that started out in the 40s are expected to rise into the low 70s. Friday should be a carbon copy.
There is the possibility of a thunderstorm on Saturday afternoon as an area of low pressure arrives. But the bulk of the rain -- if any -- should occur in the evening and overnight hours. The possible accumulation is a quarter- to a half-inch of rain. -- Helen Ross
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