Viking Classic: First-Round Notebook  PGA TOUR Staff MADISON, Miss. -- First-round play in the Viking Classic was halted by thunderstorms at 12:50 p.m. and lasted for 2 hours, 41 minutes. This was the tournament's first weather delay since 2002. That year, rain forced officials to shorten the tournament to 54 holes when severe weather in the fourth round left the course unplayable.  Cameron Beckman had the best start among the past champions in the field. (Cohen/WireImage)
• Play was suspended for the day due to darkness at 6:46 p.m. Play will resume at 7:45 a.m. on Friday. At the time of suspension, 55 players were left on the golf course. • Briny Baird's 9-under 63 is the all-time first-round low in this event. The previous mark was held by five players who had 64s in the first round, most recently by Bob Tway in 2005. • Briny Baird has been a leader/co-leader through 18 holes of a PGA TOUR event twice in his career. He went on to tie for eighth at the 2005 Michelin Championship at Las Vegas and tied for 30th at the 2003 Buick Classic. • Playing in his second Viking Classic and first since 2002, Boo Weekley opened with a solid first round, shooting a 4-under 68. In his only other Viking Classic appearance, Weekley shot rounds of 71-74 to miss the cut. • There were seven eagles in Thursday's first round, all coming on par 5s. Jesper Parnevik missed a double eagle by 1 feet, eight inches on No. 5. the agles came from Brendon de Jonge, Jay Delsing, Paul Gow and Jesper Parnevik; Nick Flanagan on No. 7; and Michael Sim and John Daly on No. 11 • Fred Funk has 20 consecutive rounds below par at this event, going back to 1998. With four birdies in five holes (Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 5, his back nine) in the first round, he moved to 3 under through 16 holes before darkness halted play. • Four players -- Robert Damron, Marco Dawson, D.J. Trahan and Bo Van Pelt -- entered the Viking Classic with under-par streaks. Dawson, Trahan and Van Pelt began their streaks in 2005, while Damron's went back to 2004 (he didn't play in 2005). Trahan (66), Dawson (69) and Van Pelt (70) kept their streaks alive. Damron shot a 1-over 73. • Viking Classic veterans playing this week include Jim Gallagher, Jr., Steve Lowery and Blaine McCallister. Gallagher leads the way with 18 appearances, beginning in 1984 when this tournament was part of the Tournament Players Series. Gallagher has played in this event every year since 1996. He was 2 over through 11 holes Thursday when play ended for the day. • This is Lowery's 17th appearance in Mississippi. The 2000 champion finished his round at 6-under (66). This is McCallister's 15th tournament. He was 4 over through 15 holes when officials halted play. • Of the players who completed all 18 holes Thursday, five players turned in bogey-free rounds. They were Eric Axley (four birdies), David Branshaw (six birdies), Alex Cejka (three birdies), Gavin Coles (five birdies) and D.J. Trahan (six birdies). • In his second PGA TOUR start of 2007, Nick Flanagan continued his fine play, shooting a 4-under 68 Thursday. Last week at the Turning Stone Resort Championship, in his first start since earning a Three-Win Promotion to the PGA TOUR from the Nationwide Tour, Flanagan, an Australian native, tied for 18th. Flanagan's 2007 Nationwide Tour wins came at the Henrico County Open, the BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs and the Xerox Classic. • David Duval, making his first PGA TOUR start since the Nissan Open in February, shot an opening-round, even-par 72. Duval has made three cuts in his five previous starts this season. Duval also played in last year's Viking Classic, where he tied for 50th. • There are 27 players in the field competing in their first Viking Classic. Sixteen of them finished their first rounds. Leading the way with the best rounds were Jay Haas (68) and Nick Flanagan (68) and George McNeill (69) and Oliver Thomson (69). • Vaughn Taylor shot a 2-over 74 and then withdrew from the tournament following his round. |
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