Zurich Classic: Round 1 notebook

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Weather: Partly cloudy with temperatures in the low 80s. SSE winds at 5-15 mph.

• Jason Bohn, with a 7-under 65, holds a two stroke lead over five players after round one of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Jason Dufner, Chris Couch, John Senden, Jeff Overton and Greg Owen posted 5-under 67.

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Leaderboard: Round 1
Round 2 Tee Times
Scorecard: Bohn
Live Report: Round 2
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Transcript archive

• A total of 59 players finished under par after round one.

• This is the second time Bohn has held at least a share of the first round lead once in his career -- the first coming at the 2004 Michelin Championship after 63 (-8) where he eventually finished T23.

• Bohn's (65) attempt to hit the par-5 18th green in two strokes ended up in the water-hazard, resulting in the lone bogey of the round for the one-time PGA TOUR winner.

• The course record at TPC Louisiana is 8-under 64 set by Kyle Reifers in 2007.

• Bohn's career-low round on the PGA TOUR is 8-under 62 in the final round of the 2009 Wyndham Championship to finish T2 behind Ryan Moore.

• Bohn, 80th on the FedExCup standings, has posted 65 three times in 2010 (R4/Bob Hope Classic, R4/Northern Trust Open, R1/Zurich Classic of New Orleans).

• Bohn has three top-25 finishes from eight starts this season (T10/Northern Trust Open, T20/Transitions Championship, T11/Shell Houston Open).

This represents Bohn's lowest opening round at a PGA TOUR event since the 2006 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee. Here's a look at Bohn's career-low, round-one scores on TOUR

• Bohn is making his fifth appearance at the Zurich Classic, having made the cut just once previously (T20/2008).

Jason Dufner has three previous appearances at the Zurich Classic (T9/2009, T44/2007, MC/2004).

• Bohn and Dufner have something else in common other than their first names. Both players recorded their lowest rounds at the Zurich Classic, surpassing their previous low of 68 (twice each), Bohn in rounds 2 and 4 of 2008 when he finished T20 -- Dufner in rounds 1 and 4 of 2009 when he finished T9.

• Dufner has missed just one cut (Northern Trust Open) in 10 previous starts this season. He has three top-25s in 2010 but has yet to post a top-10 finish.

• Dufner earned his career-best T2 finish at the 2009 Deutsche Bank Championship, one of six top-10 finishes last year and went on to his most successful season on TOUR with an 11thplace finish in the FedExCup.

• Chris Couch (67) got to 5-under through 11 holes before posting pars at the last seven holes to finish at 5-under after a bogey-free first round.

• Couch, who's only TOUR win came at the 2006 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, had posted just two career top-10s before the win.

• Couch has two top-10s this season after beginning the year with a 4-digit Official World Golf Ranking. After a pair of T4 finishes at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, Couch jumped to 205th in the ranking. His career-high world ranking was 103rd, the week after his victory.

• Couch is playing out of the Major Medical Extension category, with 21 tournaments to earn $796,087 and retain that status for the remainder of the 2010 season. The Zurich Classic is Couch's 10th start this year. He has earned $577,677 in his previous nine starts and requires $218,410 to retain his current status. With a 2-way tie for sixth or better this week he will achieve that goal.

• Greg Owen's opening round of 66 at last week's Verizon Heritage left him two back of K.J. Choi after round one. He eventually finished T53. This week the Englishman is once again two back of the leader. Owen recorded 5-under 67, including a 5-under 31 on his inward nine.

• Also at 5-under 67 are John Senden and Jeff Overton. Senden is making his seventh appearance in New Orleans, having missed the cut just once (2002) in his previous six visits. Senden hit 17 of 18 greens to lead that category in round one while Overton hit 14 of 18 greens, making seven birdies and two bogeys.

• David Duval recorded 10 pars to open his round before three consecutive birdies at Nos. 2, 3 and 4. After a birdie at No. 8, Duval missed a 6-footer for birdie at his final hole to shoot 4-under 68.

• Duval, currently 18th in the Ryder Cup points ranking, posted his best opening round this year since a first-round 67 at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am where he finished T2.

• Charles Howell III (68) has posted 10 consecutive sub-par rounds at the Zurich Classic and 16 of 29 rounds in the 60s at this event. Howell is now 83-under par in 29 rounds (522 holes) at the Zurich Classic.

• Howell III is in good shape to make his eighth cut from eight starts at the Zurich Classic. The Augusta, Ga. native owns an excellent record at this event with four top-10s including T2 finishes in his previous two starts here (2006, 2009).

• Kevin Sutherland holed a 124-yard pitching-wedge for eagle at the 372-yard par-4 8th hole and posted a bogey-free 68. The 45-year-old has achieved two milestones this season. He made his 400th career start at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the following week at the Shell Houston Open he hit all 18 greens in regulation for the first time in his career, posting a first-round 68.

Defending champion Jerry Kelly (71) was 3-under before bogeying two of his final four holes. Kelly was the only winner on TOUR in 2009 who led the field in Greens In Regulation en route to victory.

• K.J. Choi is off to another good start, shooting 4-under 68 with a double-bogey at the par-3 9th hole. Choi has 9 of 10 par-or-better opening rounds on TOUR this season, a 1-over 71 at the Sony Open in Hawaii his only blemish. In his first nine starts, Choi is a cumulative total of 60-under par -- but 24-under in the opening rounds. The 2002 Zurich Classic champion has made the cut in each of his nine starts this year, including a runner-up finish to Jim Furyk at the Transitions Championship and a T4 at the Masters Tournament.

• K.J. Choi (69.38) currently lies 2nd in the PGA TOUR Scoring Average behind Anthony Kim (69.19). Charles Howell III (69.84) is 5th.

• Sergio Garcia (73), at No. 23 in the Official World Golf Ranking, is the highest-ranked player in the field this week after Steve Stricker (3) and Ian Poulter (6) withdrew on Wednesday. Garcia played in Wednesday's pro-am with Zurich CEO Martin Senn, New Orleans Mayor-elect Mitch Landrieu and NFL legend Archie Manning.

• Farmers Insurance Group, a subsidiary of Zurich, will donate $50 for every birdie made during the weekend rounds of the Zurich Classic on behalf of the Fore!Kids Foundation. The donation will go to the March of Dimes via the Birdies for Babies program. Farmers made a similar contribution during the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego earlier this year.

• Louisiana native David Toms (69) has yet to post a top-10 this season. Last year, Toms finished T5 at the Zurich Classic, making his way into the top-10 of the FedExCup standings to earn a trip to THE PLAYERS Championship.

• The Zurich Classic is the final week to gain entry to THE PLAYERS Championship via the FedExCup points list. Rickie Fowler, at No. 21 in the FedExCup standings (through Verizon Heritage), is the highest-ranked player not otherwise qualified for THE PLAYERS. Derek Lamely (77) is No. 35. Those not qualified among the top-10 in the FedExCup standings through Zurich earn exemptions into THE PLAYERS. If the field is less than 144 at that point, those players No. 11 and beyond in the FedExCup standings not previously eligible gain entry until the field is complete at 144.

• Brian Davis, defeated by Jim Furyk in a playoff at Verizon Heritage last week when he called a penalty on himself, shot 1-under 71.

• The par-three, 215-yard, 17th hole at TPC Louisiana is this week's Kodak Challenge hole for the second year in a row. Last year, just two birdies were recorded at the 17th in the final round, and a total of 33 birdies for the week. Eight birdies were recorded in the opening round, including one by Jimmy Walker (72), moving him into a 4-way tie for second in the Kodak Challenge at 6-under, one stroke behind leader Rickie Fowler.

• Bogey-free rounds: Chris Couch (67), David Duval (68), Kevin Sutherland (68), Justin Rose (70), Lee Janzen (71).

Scoring averages -- Morning: 71.63 Afternoon: 73.55 Round 1: 72.604

A number of players withdrew from the Zurich Classic early in the week. On Tuesday afternoon Brett Wetterich was replaced by Steve Elkington. Later that evening Matt Every pulled out with a broken finger which allowed Skip Kendall into the field. Elkington decided to stay at home to watch his daughter play on her high school golf team, which got Paul Stankowski into the field. Stankowski, in Valdosta, Ga. getting ready to play the Nationwide Tour's South Georgia Classic, got in a car and drove to New Orleans on Wednesday. Ian Poulter withdrew with a left knee injury after starting the pro-am on Wednesday. Marco Dawson was next in line for a spot in the field but declined, deciding to stay in Georgia for the Nationwide Tour event. Instead, Mark Hensby made his way to New Orleans. After Steve Stricker completed the pro-am, he withdrew with a clavicle injury and Billy Mayfair took his spot.

• George McNeill (elbow) and John Mallinger (shoulder) withdrew during the first round. Jeff Maggert (81) withdrew with a shoulder injury after completing round one.