Sutherland nearly flawless in opening-round 65 at AT&T Classic  PGATOUR.com Interactive Producer DULUTH, Ga. -- As he entered the interview room in the media center at the AT&T Classic on Thursday, Kevin Sutherland accidentally kicked a light pole. He grimaced as the spotlight wobbled, then smiled -- it was the only wrong step he took all day, as he posted a 7-under 65 that was two shots better than anyone else in the first round.  Kevin Sutherland made eight birdies and a bogey Thursday. (WireImage)
Not only did his round of eight birdies and a bogey put him atop the scoreboard, it also bettered his previous career-best score at the TPC Sugarloaf by a whopping three strokes. And he was quick to credit the conditions for his performance. "The course is in great shape and the weather is perfect," Sutherland said. "The ball is really running down these fairways, so you can get to the par 5s, and I took advantage of all four of them today." Sutherland was being modest, too, as his shot-making was as pretty as the 80-degree spring day in the hilly suburbs north of Atlanta. He hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation, and his only bogey came on a three-putt from 23 feet on the par-4 fifth hole. And on the par-3 16th hole, one of the greens he missed, he chipped in from the bunker for another birdie. "I hit an 8-iron and it caught the lip of the bunker and rolled back in," he explained. "It was a fairly easy bunker shot, but to hole it was kind of a bonus. That kind of got me going." That's an understatement. Sutherland opened his round with a birdie on the 10th hole, his first, and then parred the next five in a row. His chip-in on No. 16 was the first of three birdies in a row that turned what started as a pedestrian opening nine into a nice 32. "I birdied 17, hit a wedge in to about five feet, and then knocked it on the green in two on 18 and two-putted for birdie from there," he said. "And all of a sudden, I shot 4 under. It kind of adds up when they come in bunches like that." Sutherland bundled another bunch to close out his round, with birdies on Nos. 4, 6, 7 and 8 sandwiched around his lone bogey on the fifth. "I hit the ball pretty well," he said, before giving himself a mulligan. "Actually, I hit the ball very well. I was very pleased with the way I hit it. You're not going to shoot 65 very often, so it was a lot of fun." That 65 matches his best opening round in 13 starts this season; he also shot a 65 to open the Buick Invitational in his home state of California back in February. He went on to finish tied for 14th at Torrey Pines, which was his second-best result of the season; his only better finish was solo second at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. So, between the 65s and the AT&T connection, this could be the week he dials up his second PGA TOUR victory. With a tie for ninth back in 1997 and a tie for 13th in 2003 his best results in 10 career starts, Sutherland's results at the TPC Sugarloaf have been modest so far. Although the Fresno native traditionally plays his best on the West Coast, he has been a consistent supporter of this tournament and is as pleased as anyone with its move from early April to the middle of May. The downside to the tournament's relocation on the calendar is that, because it falls immediately behind such high-profile events as the Wachovia Championship and THE PLAYERS Championship, several big-name players did not enter this week. The best way to draw stronger fields in the future, Sutherland said, is to just let the word get out about the benefits of playing in Atlanta in May. "The course is in such better shape, and the weather is so much better this time of year," he said. "It's just such a better date for the golf course than it was in March. If word can get out that this is a better date for the tournament, they might get some guys to come back." |
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