U.S. Bank Championship: First-round notebook
By Stewart Moore, PGA TOUR Staff
MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- Richard S. Johnson carded a round of 7-under 63 in the first round of the U.S. Bank Championship on Thursday and will take a one-shot lead into Friday's second round.
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• Johnson recorded the 18th hole-in-one on the PGA TOUR this year when he holed a 7-iron from 185 yards on the par-3 14th to move from 5 under to 7 under par and in turn take the lead. It was the 14th hole-in-one at the U.S. Bank Championship since moving to Brown Deer Park and the first on the 14th since Tiger Woods did the same in the final round of the 1996 tournament, which was his professional debut.
• This marks the second 18-hole lead of Richard S. Johnson's PGA TOUR career. Johnson was in a three-way tie for the lead after the opening round of the 2003 Stanford St. Jude Championship before finishing tied for third on the week.
• Johnson is making his sixth consecutive start at the U.S. Bank Championship this week. He has never missed the cut at Brown Deer Park and his best finish was a tie for 12th in 2003.
• Brothers Deane and Brenden Pappas each carded rounds of 6-under 64 to take the early lead from the morning wave. This is similar territory for Deane Pappas in Milwaukee as the South African opened with a 64 in 2002 and was tied for second through 18 holes before finishing tied for 80th on the week.
• Deane Pappas made his first PGA TOUR start of the season at last week's John Deere Classic, where he recorded rounds of 70-70--142 and missed the cut. In three starts on the Nationwide Tour in 2008, Pappas has two missed cuts and one withdrawal.
• Deane Pappas gained entry into this year's U.S. Bank Championship via the Monday qualifier at Fire Ridge Golf Club in nearby Grafton, Wis. Pappas carded a round of 69 and had to survive a three-man playoff for the last spot in the tournament, defeating Andy Pope and Joel Kribel.
• The last Monday qualifier to win on the PGA TOUR was Fred Wadsworth at the 1986 Southern Open in Columbus, Ga.
• Brenden Pappas returned to the PGA TOUR this year after spending two seasons on the Nationwide Tour, where he finished No. 22 on the 2007 money list to earn his card for the 2008 PGA TOUR season.
• In 2001, the Pappas brothers each finished in the top 15 on the Nationwide Tour money list to become the first brother combination to earn PGA TOUR cards by graduating from the Nationwide Tour. Deane finished No. 5 on the money list, while Brenden finished No. 10.
• The only time the Pappas brothers have finished in the top 5 of a PGA TOUR-sanctioned tournament was in 2001 at the Nationwide Tour's Monterey Open. Deane claimed his second career Nationwide Tour title and Brenden finished tied for fourth.
• The U.S. Bank Championship has featured nine first-time winners in tournament history. Through 18 holes, a total of 10 players find themselves in the top 10 and still looking for their first PGA TOUR title: Richard S. Johnson, Deane Pappas, Brenden Pappas, Robert Garrigus, Patrick Sheehan, Cliff Kresge, Marco Dawson, Steve Marino, Kent Jones and Kevin Streelman.
• The first eagle of the 2008 U.S. Bank Championship was made by Chad Campbell when he holed a 20 foot, six inch putt on the par-5 15th.
• In the last 29 years of the U.S. Bank Championship, the first-round leader has gone on to claim the title only three times: Corey Pavin (2006: 61-64-68-67--260), Ben Crane (2005: 62-65-64-69--260) and Greg Norman (1989: 64-69-66-70--269).
• The last 18-hole leader to win on the PGA TOUR was Sergio Garcia at THE PLAYERS in May.
• Thursday's round of 67 marked the 13th straight round in the 60s for 2003 U.S. Bank Championship winner Kenny Perry, dating back to the first round of the Travelers Championship. During that stretch of 13 rounds, Perry has recorded 73 birdies and 2 eagles (an average of 5.6 birdies per round).
• With nine players in their 20s having won this year on the PGA TOUR, Steve Marino (66) has quickly put his name in the hat to be the 10th. A rookie in 2007, the former University of Virginia star recorded 10 top-25 finishes in 31 starts last year and amassed over $1.1 million in earnings while finishing 70th in the PGA TOUR's PLAYOFFS for the FedExCup. Marino has already finished in the top-5 twice this year, including a runner-up finish at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. The key to contending is consistency and Marino certainly has that quality with 16 made cuts through his first 20 tournaments, including making the weekend at his first nine events of the season.
• Bob Tway continued his recent resurgence on Thursday with a round of 3-under 67. Tway entered the week with five top-25 finishes in 11 starts this year after compiling three (top-25 finishes) in 57 total starts between 2006 and 2007. His tie for fourth at the Buick Open three weeks ago was his first top-10 since he tied for fifth at the 2005 Southern Farm Bureau Classic, a span of 67 starts.
• Dean Wilson continued his solid play of late with a round of 65 on Thursday. Wilson finished tied for third at the AT&T National two weeks ago for his first top-5 of the 2008 season and has six top-25 finishes in 22 starts this year.
• Patrick Sheehan (65) has a history of playing well in Milwaukee and it continued on Thursday. In 2003, Sheehan was tied for second through 54 holes before a final-round 76 left him tied for 42nd, while in 2004 he was tied for the lead through 54 holes before finishing tied for fourth.
• Steve Flesch opened with a round of 66 on Thursday. At the 2007 Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, Flesch cited his finish at the U.S. Bank Championship (tied for fifth) as the spark that lit his fire at the end of last year. After his good play in Milwaukee, Flesch proceeded to win two of his next six starts (including the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open) and eventually finished No. 26 on the 2007 money list.
• Forty-two players managed to break 70 in the morning wave, while only 32 players managed to do so in the afternoon wave.
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