The Starter: Round 1, Frys.com Open

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Oct. 13, 2010

The first round of the Frys.com Open is set to begin Thursday. Here's a preview:

Groups we're watching:

Tee time	Players
10:40 a.m. ET No. 10		Rickie Fowler, Troy Merritt, Tim Petrovic Fowler and Merritt are tied for the Kodak Challenge lead and an eagle for either on No. 17 could lead to a $1 million payday.
10:50 a.m. ET No. 10		Troy Matteson, Bo Van Pelt, Justin Leonard Matteson is back to defend his title. At least one of our experts likes each of these guys to have a good week.
3:30 p.m. ET No. 10		Stuart Appleby, Cameron Beckman, Ben Curtis Beckman, the 2008 champion of this event, is joined by the TOUR's most recent Mr. 59 and one of 10 major champs in the field.

MORE ROUND 1: Tee times | Inside the field | Transcripts

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR Network on-site correspondent Brett Wright previews Thursday's action:

Thursday's forecast

Sunny
Temp: 88 high/57 low
Chance of precipitation 0 percent. Winds from N around 10 mph.

Welcome to the first round of the Frys.com Open here in San Martin California at the beautiful CordeValle Resort Golf Course. This layout is the sixth and final new golf course that the PGA TOUR faces this season. There will be no big local knowledge advantage to any players this week, but it never seems to take these guys very long to dial in the details and start defying the course designers' expectations. This week that man is Robert Trent Jones Jr. who is known for great designs considers CordeValle to possibly be his best golf course ever.

The golf course is spread through the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains with Clos LaChance Winery vineyards dotting the hillsides and slopes just off of several holes. I am looking for some low scores due to the golf course being fairly moist which keep the ball from running out. This will help the long hitters keep the ball in the somewhat narrow fairways. The rough is Kentucky bluegrass and will penalize player who miss fairways and greens with unpredictable lies. The bent-poa greens are rolling fast and will get faster this week as no rain is predicted for the whole week.

The field of this third Fall Series event of the season has a cornucopia of stories of players trying to move their numbers up the money list for various rewards like qualifying for the top 70 and being able to pick and choose their schedule next year. Justin Leonard is one of these players at 81 on the money list. There are many other players hoping to secure a spot on the all exempt list in the top 125 like George McNeill who is currently at 144.

There is no lack of star power here this week as Ryder Cup rookie Rickie Fowler is searching for his first win on the PGA TOUR. Troy Matteson who has won two Frys.com Opens is here searching for the magic third. Michael Allen, who is always strong in the fall, comes into this week off a playoff loss to Mark O'Meara in last week's Champions Tour major championship, the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship. Tom Pernice Jr. is also here representing the over-50 crowd.

There are international players, as well, like Fredrik Jacobson, Steve Elkington, Henrik Stenson, Aaron Baddeley, and Trevor Immelman. Five of the top seven longest drivers on tour will be airing it out this week: No. 1 Robert Garrigus, No. 4 Brett Wetterich, No. 5 JB Holmes, No. 6 Graham DeLaet and No. 7 John Daly. Robert Garrigus, aka "Gorillagus," averages 316.1 yards off the tee and averages better than six yards longer than Bubba Watson, who is second in driving distance.

There are ten major championship winners in the field representing 12 major victories. The most recent is Immelman in the 2008 Masters.

The Film Room

	PGA TOUR Today: Preview, Frys.com Open The PGA TOUR Fall Series continues, next stop the Frys.com Open in San Martin, California. Casey Black previews what to expect in the opening round. Watch it
	Fantasy Video: Frys.com Open Need help with your fantasy picks for the 2010 Frys.com Open? John Swantek and the Fantasy Insider can help! Watch it
	Preview: 2010 Frys.com Open Troy Matteson looks to defend his title as the PGA TOUR Fall Series heads to Northern California for the Frys.com Open. Watch it