The Live Report: Verizon Heritage, Round 1
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By PGATOUR.COM staff
ROUND 1 FINISHING UP (6:10 p.m.): Jim Furyk was working on a bogey-free round through 17 holes, not too shabby for a guy who shot 80 a week ago.
Furyk finally succumbed to a bogey at the scenic 18th at Harbour Town, hitting his approach into the water and settling for a 4-under 67. He's still got to be pleased, tied for fourth with 11 others and three shots behind leader K.J. Choi as the first round comes to a close.
Nobody left on the course has a chance at making big noise, so Choi heads into Round 2 with the lead. Notables in the top 10 include Mike Weir (T2), Davis Love III (T4), Sergio Garcia (T4), Tim Clark (T4) and Furyk.
Who's in danger of missing the cut? John Daly and Brian Gay (T77), Robert Allenby (T95) and Paul Casey (T116). -- Nick Zaccardi
PAST CHAMPS (6 p.m.): The Verizon Heritage is known for its multiple winners. Not only does Davis Love III own five tartan jackets, but two-time champs Boo Weekley and Stewart Cink are also in the field this week.
How are the past Heritage winners doing in Round 1? Check it out. -- Nick Zaccardi
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BEST STARTS OF '10 (5:42 p.m.): K.J. Choi's opening-round 64 is his lowest round since he shot 64 in the third round of the 2008 BMW Championship.
The 64 is also the lowest opening round on TOUR in seven weeks, ever since Camilo Villegas opened with a 62 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in late February. Dustin Johnson (AT&T Pebble Beach) and Ryan Palmer (Sony Open) are the only players to hold an 18-hole lead and go on to win an event this year, though both shared the first-round lead.
Here are the lowest first rounds shot in each TOUR event this season. -- Mike McAllister
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SPOTLIGHT ON CHOI (5:30 p.m.): K.J. Choi has surely never played in front of a larger four-round gallery than last week at Augusta, where he was paired with Tiger Woods each day.
For some golfers, that might be taxing. Nobody would have slighted Choi had he taken this week off. But no, Choi is in the field at Harbour Town for just the second time in his career, and he's sitting on the 18-hole lead at 7 under.
For more on Choi's first round, his victory drought and his reflections on Masters week, click here. -- Nick Zaccardi
THE DEFENDING CHAMP (5:20 p.m.): Maybe he used up all his birdies last year when he shot a tournament-record 20 under to win the Verizon Heritage. Regardless, Brian Gay is finding Thursday's first round of his title defense much more difficult.
Gay started on the back nine and made birdie on the 10th hole. But then he followed with bogeys on Nos. 14, 17 and 1 before getting back to even par with two birdies in his next four holes.
It's admittedly early, but Gay is currently on the cut line, tied for 64th at even par through 15 holes. He opened with a 67 a year ago, which matched his high score of the week. -- Helen Ross
TWEET OF THE DAY (5:15 p.m.): "Friends we have a newcomer to Twitter the last US Ryder cup captain, @paulazinger welcome Paul" -- @Ianjamespoulter
Word travels fast. Azinger already has more than 3,000 followers. The real question is if Poulter will still be tweeting pleasantries to Americans come October at Celtic Manor. -- Nick Zaccardi
KRAFT SIGHTING (4:55 p.m.): Only a few players left on the course are going low, but one of them, perhaps surprisingly, is Greg Kraft.
Kraft, 46, is 4 under through 16 with six birdies on the day. He's currently three shots back of K.J. Choi, who finished earlier and is set to take the overnight lead.
While Choi is carrying over success from Augusta, Kraft is on pace for his best PGA TOUR round since 2008. The veteran captured his first TOUR victory at the 2008 Puerto Rico Open but has not been able to duplicate that magic since.
He's made one cut in nine 2010 starts with one of 23 rounds in the 60s. He had a tough time in 2009, too, with four made cuts in 21 events and a final FedExCup standing of 193. Kraft's exemption for winning in '08 expires after this season, so he'll need more rounds like Thursday to secure a TOUR card for 2011. -- Nick Zaccardi
CLARK STARTS WELL (4:35 p.m.): You'd think Harbour Town would be a course that is tailor-made for Tim Clark. The Pete Dye creation is tight, not overly long and requires precise iron shots.
The South African, though, just has one top-10 in the Verizon Heritage and has only cracked the top 20 on one other occasion in seven starts. But he's off to a good start on Thursday after playing his first 16 holes in 4 under.
Clark is still looking for his first PGA TOUR victory. He has eight runner-up finishes in his career, including a tie for second at the Bob Hope Classic earlier this year.
Should Clark finish with a first-round 67, it would be his best round since he shot 65 in the final round of the Bob Hope Classic and just his first sub-70 score in his last nine rounds. -- Helen Ross
YOUNG AND ASPIRING (4:25 p.m.): Byeong-Hun An didn't have it easy making his first two PGA TOUR starts at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Masters, two of the toughest weeks for scoring year-in and year-out.
An, who at 17 became the youngest U.S. Amateur champion last year, is performing like a pro -- at least through one round -- in a more serene setting at Harbour Town. He carded a 2-under 69 on Thursday, marking his first sub-par round on TOUR.
It was by no means a calm round. He eagled No. 5, then fell back with three bogeys in five holes making the turn. He closed strong, however, with birdies at Nos. 13, 16 and 18.
An missed the cut at Bay Hill (77-73) and Augusta (78-77), where his status as a U.S. Amateur champ got him in the field, just like this week. He's one of two amateurs playing the Verizon Heritage. Bud Cauley (5 over through 10) is the other.
In case you're wondering, An is not going to follow fellow teen prodigy Matteo Manassero into the professional ranks anytime soon. He's signed a letter of intent to play at the University of California beginning this fall. -- Nick Zaccardi
CLEANING UP HIS ACT (3:56 p.m.): In 36 holes last week at Augusta National, Jim Furyk had eight bogeys, three double bogeys and one triple bogey (along with five birdies) en route to an 80-76 and an early exit from the Masters
Good news for the veteran today: Through nine holes, he's a bogey-free 4 under through 10 holes.
Furyk is making his 12th start at this event. He's never won, but he does have four top-10 finishes in the last six years, including consecutive second-place finishes in 2005-06.
You can follow the rest of Furyk's round on Shot Tracker by clicking here.
JERRY KELLY ON HIS 67 (3:30 p.m.): Jerry Kelly's ace on the fourth hole Thursday was the second one of his career on the 192-yard par 3. Each time he used a 4-iron.
"Hole-in-one then I chipped in the next hole, and then knocked it about six inches the next hole," Kelly said. "I was 5 under and hadn't made a putt yet."
This is the middle of a busy stretch for Kelly, who ended up shooting a 32 on the front and 67 for 18 holes. He tied for 12th last week at the Masters and will defend his title at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans next week.
"I am pacing myself," Kelly said. "I really did a good job of staying loose and not doing too much this week. This in-between week right here I played nine holes and didn't hit many balls on Tuesday. I was actually out here for almost three hours with the short game on Monday, so that paid off, but didn't take a full swing at all. That was hard.
"Wednesday I played the Pro Am and probably hit six balls after. I definitely thought about next week and pacing myself this week. I need to work this afternoon a little bit. I was very loose out there. It's different." -- Helen Ross
DAVIS LOVE ON HIS 67 (2:52 p.m.): Davis Love III describes himself as an "amateur" golf course architect compared to guys like Pete Dye, who designed Harbour Town Golf Links. At the same time, though, his forays into the field have given the 46-year-old a better sense of how to play the game.
"I know what Pete is looking for here; you have to be able to put the ball in the right place off the tee in order to be able to hit it on the green," Love said. "You can't get too aggressive."
Love didn't on Thursday as he shot a 67 that left the five-time Verizon Heritage champ just three strokes off the lead. He admits his friend Fred Couples' performance at Augusta National last week did wonders for his mindset.
"I feel like I can play a long time," Love said. "Greg Norman almost won a British Open, Tom Watson almost won a British Open, and Freddie could have won The Masters last week.
"At Bay Hill I made 25 birdies. If I can do that, at the end of the week, if I'm not making the bogeys, I'm going to win. I have to keep enjoying playing and having fun. 4-under here is a good start to try to win another one here." -- Helen Ross
SERGIO GARCIA ON HIS 67 (2:33 p.m.) Sergio Garcia admits his game is a work in progress. And Thursday's round of 67 which included three birdies in a five-hole stretch certainly was a step in the right direction, too.
Interestingly, Garcia decided to go to a weaker grip on Wednesday and it paid dividends in the first round.
"It hasn't been feeling great," the Spaniard said. "I've been having a lot of trouble with my right hand. ... It's a weaker grip. I lost a little distance. But it feels like I'm able to keep my arms and hands a little tighter. So we'll see how it goes."
Garcia is making his first appearance at Harbour Town since 2002 when he tied for 19th. He says he likes the course, but the tournament hasn't fit in his schedule in the past.
"I think that the course is playing beautifully," Garcia said. "It's a wonderful golf course. You have to drive the ball well. ... I think I managed to hit some good shots today. I hit some nice putts. Overall it was good. ...
"I'm happy that I can be here. That I can help the tournament and Verizon and everything. So I enjoy it." -- Helen Ross
MIKE WEIR ON HIS 68 (2:04 p.m.) Mike Weir had forgotten how narrow Harbour Town is and how tight some of the pin positions can be. He negotiated things pretty well on Thursday, though, posting a 66 that left him two strokes off the lead.
"When I played yesterday, the pro-am, it definitely came back to me," Weir said. "... I'm usually a pretty good iron player. I usually keep it in play pretty good. So it did come back to me."
Weir started on the back nine and turned in 33, but was a tad frustrated because he had left a few birdies out there. That's why the 8-iron he holed from 145 yards for eagle on the first hole, his 10th of the day, was such a "great momentum booster," the Canadian said.
Weir hasn't played in the Verizon Heritage since he tied for 10th in 1999. With the exception of the RBC Canadian Open, which follows the British Open, he generally doesn't play after a major because he's usually "wiped out."
This year, though, Weir had several reasons to play at Harbour Town.
"For one, it's a great tournament, and I know that it's important to play this event because it's been a stalwart to the TOUR," said Weir, well aware that this is the last year of Verizon's sponsorship. "I wanted to be involved with that."
Secondly, Weir turns 40 next month while his brother turns 50 and his parents celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. So he plans to take a few months off in the summer for the "family anniversary" festivities.
Weir tied for 43rd at Augusta National last week, shooting rounds of 76-77 on the weekend before flying home to Utah on Sunday night. The 2003 Masters champ took several days off -- even taking in one of his daughters' soccer games on Monday -- and didn't arrive in South Carolina until Tuesday night.
"I was pretty disappointed in the way I played last week, but at the same time I've been really seeing improvement in my game," Weir said. "So I was excited to get here, and kind of kick the dirt off after getting beaten up last week, and get back to it this week.
"That was kind of my mentality coming in this week." -- Helen Ross
ATTABOY, CHOI (1:55 p.m.): K.J. Choi is rolling right now.
After an impressive performance at the Masters, when he tied for fourth and shot all four rounds under par, Choi has kept the momentum going at Harbour Town with a 7-under 64 that gives him the clubhouse lead.
Even before getting to Augusta, the veteran Korean was making noise. He finished second by a stroke to Jim Furyk at the Transitions Championship, then tied for 17th the following week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard.
Choi's scoring average this year is 69.25, which ranks him second to Anthony Kim (69.19).
Check out Choi's scorecard below. You can replay his round on Shot Tracker by clicking here.
MICHEEL NEAR THE LEAD (1:50 p.m.): The impact of that 7-iron hit by Shaun Micheel is nearly seven years old, but he's close to recapturing the form that carried him to his only win on the PGA TOUR.
Micheel's stunning victory in the 2003 PGA Championship -- where he birdied the final hole to win by a shot -- didn't lead to any sort of breakthroughs on TOUR. He finished second in the PGA Championship in 2006, but he's playing on Past Champion's status in 2010. As a result, he's making just his fourth start of the year this week.
Micheel has made the most of it. Micheel finished fifth in the Shell Houston Open after a blistering 65 in the final round. He followed that up with a 67 in the opening round at Harbour Town, playing bogey-free golf until he missed the green on the par-4 18th.
Micheel has played 13 rounds this year, and he's got six rounds in the 60s, with no score higher than 73. -- Ryan Smithson
HO-HUM, LOVE STARTS STRONG (1:40 p.m.): No surprise that Davis Love III posted a sub-par number in Thursday's opening round, carding a 4-under 67. Making his 25th start in this event, Love has opening with a sub-par round 18 times, including 12 of his last 14 starts.
Love now has a first-round scoring average of 69.5 in his 25 starts and has made the cut in 20 of his previous 24 starts, winning five times.
K.J. Choi has the clubhouse lead after shooting a 7-under 64.
CHAD COLLINS ON HIS 67 (1:20 p.m.): Chad Collins wasn't feeling all that great when he teed off Thursday morning at Harbour Town. A few hours later, after shooting a 4-under 67 that left him on the front page of the leaderboard, Collins was feeling much, much better.
"It was a solid round," said Collins, who ranked second last year on the Nationwide Tour money list to gain his TOUR card. "Expectations weren't real high coming in today, starting to come down with some of the sickness from the pollen or whatever it is. So I'm trying to get rid of that."
One cure? Getting off to the kind of start Collins did Thursday. He was 6 under through 11 holes before he stumbled with bogeys at Nos. 12 and 14. He then birdied the 17th before ending his round on a sour note with a bogey at the 18th.
Still, an impressive start for Collins, who is making his first career start in the Verizon Heritage.
"You know, it's a course that suits my game," Collins said. "Everybody has always said, 'If you get a chance to play this tournament ...'. They always thought that this would be a good tournament for me. Just kind of plug along from point A to point B, hit it pretty straight, good short game. So it's kind of right up my alley.
"So I feel pretty comfortable here. Not a lot of drivers. I hit a lot of 3-woods. I kind of position myself for approach shots into the green. I've been putting well. The greens are flawless. The course is flawless. Kind of right where I need to be for the most part."
Collins produced three top-10 finishes in his first seven starts this year, including a tie for fourth at the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun. But he has failed to make the cut in his last two starts.
With a field this week that includes notable veterans such as Mike Weir, Davis Love III, Jerry Kelly and K.J. Choi, Collins knows it won't get any easier in the last three rounds.
"I need to keep plugging along," Collins said, "and try to hold pace with them." -- Mike McAllister
GOOD DAY (12:50 p.m.): Glen Day's only PGA TOUR victory came in 1999 at Harbour Town, the year after he finished second there. Those are his only two top-10s in 16 starts on Hilton Head, though.
He's playing well on Thursday, though. Day started the round with consecutive birdies and has added three more to move to 5 under through 15 holes.
A good finish at Hilton Head would be huge for Day, who has not finished inside the top 125 on the money list since 2003 and is playing out of the past champions category this year.
Day missed the cut in both Nationwide Tour events he entered this year, as well as in Puerto Rico on the PGA TOUR. He did shoot 8 under to finish 17th at the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun.
You can follow the rest of Day's round on Shot Tracker by clicking here. -- Helen Ross
OH, THOSE SMALL GREENS (12:30 p.m.): According to the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, the average green size at Harbour Town is 3,700 square feet, which means the greens are among the smallest the TOUR pros will see all year.
Compare it to Augusta National, home of the Masters, with its average green size of 6,435 square feet. Or the TPC Blue Monster at Doral, with an average green size of 6,600 square feet.
It's no wonder that the percentage of greens hit in regulation is among the lowest each year on TOUR. Last year, Harbour Town produced the third lowest percentage among all TOUR cases, ranking harder to hit than Firestone, Bethpage Black and Torrey Pines.
And as our Ryan Smithson points out, even more amazing about the greens is the fact that Harbour Town has just two par 4s longer than 450 yards. PGA TOUR pros are not exactly hitting a lot of long irons into par 4s this week.
"What this course does is it puts people into two camps psychologically," two-time Verizon Heritage winner Stewart Cink once said about Harbour Town's greens. "You either get into the camp where you feel like you're in jail because of the trees and how close everything is and the small greens, or you feel like your goal is well defined by the small target. I think I go in the second camp, so I just feel at ease."
Here's how Harbour Town has ranked the past five years in greens in regulation percentage among all courses played on TOUR. -- Mike McAllister
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HEY, IT'S SERGIO (12:02 p.m.): Sergio Garcia hasn't played in the Verizon Heritage since he tied for 19th in 2002. But like Mike Weir (see earlier note), he's probably glad he put the tournament back on his schedule, though.
Garcia, who tied for 45th at the Masters last week, started on the back and turned in 34. He's just birdied the second and third holes, though, to move to 3 under and within two strokes of the lead.
Garcia has not won a PGA TOUR event since the 2008 PLAYERS Championship. The Spaniard played well earlier this year at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, finishing fourth.
You can follow Garcia's round on Shot Tracker by clicking here. -- Helen Ross
BACK ON TRACK? (11:54 a.m.): Aaron Baddeley had an adventurous round on Thursday that included two 6s (one bogey and one double bogey), as well as six birdies. It all added up to a round of 69 that left him two strokes off the lead when he finished.
Baddeley has been struggling of late. He hasn't finished higher than 50th in six starts this year and only had two top-10s in all of 2009. Thursday's 68 marked just the fifth time he's broken 70 in 21 rounds this year.
But Baddeley is another player who has good vibes at Harbour Town. He won the tournament in 2006, tied for 10th in his title defense and finished second there in 2008.
Baddeley's scorecard is below. To replay Baddeley's round, check out Shot Tracker by clicking here. -- Helen Ross
WELCOME BACK, MIKE (11:35 a.m.): Until this week, Mike Weir has only played the Verizon Heritage one time ... and that was 11 years ago when he shot 6 under and tied for 10th in just his second full year on the PGA TOUR.
But even though it's been awhile, the 2003 Masters champ is still finding Harbour Town to his liking. He just eagled the par-4 first hole (his 10th) by holing out from 144 yards, and is now 4 under through 11.
Weir hopes to break his victory drought this week; he hasn't won since the 2007 Fry's Electronics Open. He finished sixth in his first start of the year, the Bob Hope Classic, but has failed to record another top-10 finish in his last seven starts. He tied for 43rd last week at Augusta National.
Weekends have been particularly tough on Weir this year. He hasn't posted a round in the 60s in either the third or fourth round in his last 10 rounds on the weekend.
Weir's third-round scoring average of 73.50 ranks 181st on TOUR, while his final-round average of 72.17 ranks 128th. Compare that to his scoring average before the cut -- 69.47, 13th best on TOUR.
You can follow Weir's round on Shot Tracker by clicking here. -- Mike McAllister
KEEP ON KEEPING ON (11:25 a.m.): A lot of players come to Hilton Head to relax after the Masters. Looks like K.J. Choi has picked up right where he left off, though.
Choi played with Tiger Woods all four rounds last week at the Augusta National and he more than held his own -- finishing tied for fourth with the world No. 1, five strokes behind Phil Mickelson.
This week at the Verizon Heritage has brought more of the same for Choi. He's made five birdies and just one bogey in 12 holes and stands one stroke off the lead held by Jerry Kelly and Greg Owen.
Choi is a victory waiting to happen, too. He hasn't missed a cut in eight starts this season and has finished fourth or better in two of his last three starts.
You can follow Choi's round on Shot Tracker by clicking here. -- Helen Ross
GOOD START (11:08 a.m.): Chad Collins is making a return trip to the PGA TOUR after finishing second on the Nationwide Tour money list last year.
He didn't play in the Verizon Heritage during his rookie season in 2008 but the Methodist College grad has certainly found Harbour Town to his liking this week. He birdied six of his first 11 holes on Thursday to seize sole possession of the lead.
Bogeys on Nos. 12 and 14 have dropped Collins back into a tie at 4 under, one stroke behind Jerry Kelly. But Collins has been playing well this year with three top-10s in nine starts and over $486,000 -- already $150,000 more than he earned in the entire 2008 season.
You can follow Collins' round on Shot Tracker by clicking here. -- Helen Ross
COMFORTABLE SETTING FOR LOVE (10:50 a.m.): It's been a feast-or-famine year for Davis Love III. He's missed five cuts but when he's cashed a check it's been six figures with a tie for fifth at the Sony Open in Hawaii and a tie for 14th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard.
Harbour Town is the course for this horse, though, with Love winning the Verizon Heritage five times. So it should come as no surprise to see Love -- who turned 46 on Tuesday -- on the leaderboard yet again.
Love, who was likely inspired by the play of his good buddy Fred Couples at the Masters last week, has played his first 11 holes in 4 under. He's one off the lead held by Chad Collins and Woody Austin -- the man he beat in a playoff for his fifth tartan jacket in 2003.
Love's first victory at Harbour Town came in 1987 and it was also the first of his PGA TOUR career.
You can follow Love's round on Shot Tracker by clicking here. -- Helen Ross
LUCKY 13 (10:15 a.m.): Jerry Kelly's ace is the 13th recorded on the PGA TOUR this year. In last week's final round of the Masters, Nathan Green and Ryan Moore aced the par-3 16th.
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DÉJÀ VU FOR KELLY (10 a.m.): From the news of the weird department: Jerry Kelly aced the par-3 fourth hole on Thursday at Harbour Town.
Here's why it's weird. Kelly also had an ace in the Verizon Heritage in 2007. At the same hole. To take the lead.
Kelly's shot on Thursday was almost the same as his ace in 2007 -- the pin is cut front right. The only difference is that the hole is playing 193 yards today, eight yards shorter than his ace in 2007.
Research shows the odds of making an ace at the same hole at the same tournament are about the same as a 2-handicapper shooting 63 on his own ball to win the member-guest tournament.
By the way, you can watch Kelly's ace from 2007 by clicking here
. -- Ryan Smithson
WEATHER FORECAST (9:55 a.m.): Should be very few issues with the weather this week. Other than a slight chance of rain Saturday night, the players should see dry, pleasant weather all week at Hilton Head.
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