A rare day in the fast lane at the Stadium Course
By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM Managing Editor
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- You wake up at the crack of dawn. Big tournament on the horizon. Tough venue awaits you; it was certainly murder in the final round last year when just two guys broke 70 through inhuman winds.
But then you get on the course Thursday ... and smile. The previous night's rain dampened the greens. The pin flags have no movement. And the humidity helps negate the rising temperatures that might normally dry out those greens. And hey, is that rough slightly lower than last year? Suddenly, three words come to mind:
Ideal. Scoring. Conditions.
It doesn't usually get that way at TPC Sawgrass. But in the first round of this year's PLAYERS Championship, the Stadium Course became vulnerable.
And when that happens, the world's best golfers do what they do best -- attack with the ferociousness normally reserved for hungry sharks, protective grizzly bears and agitated Bernie Madoff clients (as if there's any other kind).
"We were just firing from the first hole," said Sweden's Richard S. Johnson, who was paired with Scott Verplank and Johnson Wagner, a threesome that was a collective 14-under par. "It wasn't playing that hard out there."
That explains why there were 22 rounds in the 60s, compared to just eight in the first round (and 16 in the entire tournament) last year, and four in the first round of 2007. It explains why Thursday's scoring average of 72.084 was lower than the cumulative average score of any PLAYERS Championship since 1996 (albeit higher than the 71.870 posted in the first round of 2005).
That might explain why Verplank, who recorded just two eagles all of last year, had two in one round on Thursday. It might explain why the par-5 ninth hole, which has allowed just two eagles in the past four years, gave up two on Thursday. It might explain why John Mallinger, who had never broken par in his first six rounds at the Stadium Course, shot 6 under after an intense week of practice. It might explain why Alex Cejka hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation -- and hit all 14 fairways, a remarkable display of accuracy.
It might also explain why neither Tiger Woods nor defending champion Sergio Garcia looked happy, despite shooting 1-under 71s. If they fail to win this week, they'll likely reflect on Thursday's lost opportunity to pile up the birdies, avoid trouble and go low.
"I was hitting the ball very poorly," Garcia grumbled after his morning round. Eventually, he added the kicker -- "If you play halfway decent, you are going to shoot 65, 68, 69."
For some players, it was like a dream. Jonathan Byrd had played 18 rounds at the Stadium Course before Thursday, breaking 70 just twice and never shooting anything better than 68. But he strolled through with a 5-under 67, a round in which he had birdie opportunities on every hole in the back nine.
"I had to keep pinching myself," Byrd said, "because you're not going to have it like this again."
And that's the shame of the matter. If there was ever a day to set a new course record -- currently at 9-under 63, held by Greg Norman and Fred Couples -- this seemed to be it. David Toms threatened early; he was at 8 under through 14 holes after starting his day on the 10th tee and, in his own words, "making it look pretty easy."
But after his tee shot on the par-4 sixth left him in the light rough, 133 yards from the pin, Toms reached for a 9-iron instead of wedge. He sailed his shot -- only a three-quarter swing at that -- over the green. His first mistake of the day cost him not only a stroke, but all his momentum, and he stumbled down the stretch, his chance at the record quickly vanishing with three bogeys.
Late in the afternoon, Ben Crane also got it to 8 under with two holes remaining before his surge came to an end at one of the rare tough holes on the day, the par-3 eighth. Finishing at 7 under, Crane still shot three strokes lower than any of his previous 14 rounds at the Stadium Course. Not bad for a guy who came in with three "trunk slammers" (missed cuts) in his four previous starts.
Two legitimate runs at a record that was last tied 15 years ago befits the day's trend. Now the question becomes -- Will TPC Sawgrass remain vulnerable the rest of the way? After all, the weather forecast calls for only a slight increase in the winds the rest of the week, with partly cloudy skies. Conditions may not be much different in the final three days.
The players aren't counting on it, of course. They expect Sawgrass to stiffen up, whether by natural causes or by some other hand. Mighty venues like the Stadium Course don't stay vulnerable for long. Too many variables, too many obstacles ... too much pride, if you will.
While the best field in golf is here this week, so is one of the best courses on the planet. A clash like that inevitably leads to a draw, with both sides punched out by the end.
"I've never played here with really no wind," said Verplank, making his 17th PLAYERS start. "If the wind picks up, the golf course will definitely get tougher."
That's why you had to smile Thursday morning. These kinds of scoring chances don't come along very often. Enjoy 'em while you can.
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