NEWS

MasterCard Championship at Hualalai: First-Round Notes
 
Jan. 19, 2007
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By Dave Senko
Champions Tour Media Official

KAUPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii -- Brad Bryant matched his career low as a professional with an opening-round 9-under-par 63 on Friday in the first round of the MasterCard Championship at Hualalai. A two-time winner in 2006, Bryant capped his round by draining a birdie putt of 58 feet, five inches at No. 18. His previous low round came at the 1995 Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic (2nd round) on the PGA TOUR.

Hale Irwin
Hale Irwin is making his 12th straight start at the MasterCard. (Chris Condon/PGATOUR/WireImage)
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
HALE IRWIN AT THE MASTERCARD
Year Score Finish
2006 10-under 206 T21
2005 17-under 199 T3
2004 10-under 206 T19
2003 8-under 208 T16
2002 Even-216 T24
2001 6-under 210 T12
2000 7-under 209 T2
1999 2-under 214 T23
1998 15-under 201 T2
1997 7-under 209 1
1996 6-under 210 T6
• Hale Irwin's Player Page

Bryant's 63 matched the best first-round score in tournament history. Tom Kite set the standard in 2002 and Don Pooley, Loren Roberts and Tom Watson matched it in 2006.

  • Hale Irwin is making his 12th straight appearance in this event, the longest current streak in the 41-man field. Irwin won this tournament in 1997 and was a T2 in 1998 and 2000. He shot a 6-under-par 66 on Friday and is currently T4. Irwin has won nine career titles in the Aloha State and his career earnings in the state is close to $3.9 million.

  • What better way to celebrate your 50th wedding anniversary than bettering your age? That is what 71-year-old Gary Player did in Friday's opening round, shooting a 3-under-par 69 on the day he and his wife, Vivienne, celebrated 50 years of marriage. It marked the fifth time he had bettered his age in his career, including two times in 2006.

  • D.A. Weibring, who played bogey-free golf in last year's tournament, saw his string of bogey-free holes in this event end at 67 when he made a bogey at No. 9. In addition to 54 holes last year, Weibring also finished the 2005 event with five consecutive bogey-free holes.

  • Defending champion Loren Roberts got off to a strong start in defense of his crown. His 7-under-par 65 was his 15th consecutive sub-par round, dating back to the close of the 2006 campaign. Roberts is 32 under par in four rounds at the MasterCard Championship at Hualalai.

  • Irwin and Dana Quigley extended impressive streaks on Friday. Irwin's 6-under-par 66 gave him 10 consecutive rounds in the 60s at Hualalai, while Quigley's 5-under-par 67 gave him 15 straight rounds in the 60s.

  • Irwin had the fewest putts of any player in Round One (25) and he was also third in putting average (1.800). It may be an encouraging sign for Irwin, who slipped to T39 in putting average in 2006 after being one of the top putters on the Champions Tour from 1996-2005.

  • Ben Crenshaw opened the tournament with a 7-under-par 65 for the second consecutive year.

  • A total of 36 players in the 41-man field finished with rounds under par compared to 33 players last year. This year's total is the most under par in the first round.

  • Jerry Pate made a nice showing in his first start since last July following right shoulder surgery (repair torn cartilage). Pate shot a 6-under-par 66. Also returning from 2006 surgery was Peter Jacobsen, who was coming back from left hip replacement surgery in September. Jacobsen opened with a 2-under-par 70.

  • The scoring average was 68.829 which was more than a stroke higher than last year when the 35-man field averaged 67.543.

  • The most difficult hole on Friday was No. 5 with an average score of 3.293 (+.293), while the second toughest was No. 9 at 4.195 (+.195). There was just one birdie on No. 9 (Morris Hatalsky). The easiest was No. 10 with an average score of 4.146 (-.854). There were three eagles, 29 birdies and nine pars. The second easiest was No. 4 with an average score of 4.220 (-.780). There were no bogeys on the hole. In fact there were also no bogeys on Nos. 7 and 10.

  • Tom Purtzer had the day's long drive, a 383-yarder on No. 10. Copyright 2007 PGATOUR.com. All rights reserved.