Round 1, Zurich Classic of New Orleans

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Apr. 23, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM staff

The first groups are ready to tee off in today's first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Here's how it sets up:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
8:51 am ET No. 10		Nick Watney, Steve Stricker, James Driscoll Watney is looking for his second win of the season in the same place he won for the first time on TOUR. Track 'em
9:54 am ET No. 1		Jason Day, Darron Stiles, Danny Lee Lee, the teen sensation from New Zealand, makes his professional debut this week on the PGA TOUR. Track 'em
1:21 pm ET No. 10		Andres Romero, Scott Verplank, Todd Hamilton Romero, the defending champion from Argentina, goes off with two veterans who have been hot lately. Track 'em

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR Network on-site correspondent John Maginnes previews Thursday's first round:

Thursday's forecast

Sunny
Temp: 83 high/65 low
It will be sunny throughout the day, with winds coming out of the south at 13 mph.

Tim Petrovic called the TPC Louisiana the best golf course on TOUR. He followed that up with, "I won there, you always think that it is the best course if you win there." Best or worse, the one thing that we know about the TPC Louisiana is that it is long. In the first few years of the event here, a couple of things have become clear: One is that you have to be long to succeed here; the other is that you don't have to have succeeded anywhere else to win the Zurich Classic at the TPC Louisiana.

This year, the playing field is a little more level than in previous years. The fairways are firm and fast. Guys who rarely trickle drives past the three-century mark will be bounding balls into the 320s -- and they will need to if they want to compete.

While "grip it and rip it" might seem to be the theme, the green complexes are all Pete Dye. Miss in the wrong spot, and big numbers are in play. The outlook this week is for sunny skies and moderate breezes. While some will struggle, it seems likely that we could see the best scoring ever at the TPC Louisiana. And that means there are a lot of players who will have a chance ... even some of the shorter guys.

GASTRONOMIC HEAVEN ON EARTH: Jerry Kelly hit the 10th hole at the TPC Louisiana hungry for much more than a win. Just over halfway through Wednesday's Pro-Am at the Zurich Classic, Kelly knew what he needed before finishing the back nine: three dozen char-grilled oysters.

Kelly

"Some of the other tournaments serve pretty good food," Kelly said, "but nothing like this. This is gastronomic heaven."

The tournament has taken on some of the attributes -- good food and get-down music -- that have made the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival beginning Friday a fan favorite.

Cuisine, everything from alligator on a stick to beignets, has become a big part of the tournament's advertising package. The food is available to fans at the tournament around the course and, for a $175 tab, at the Champion's Club, where a dozen top restaurants dish up specialties.

Food is a big part of the local culture. And it's a big part of the Zurich Classic.

If oysters don't fill the stomach, players could have crawfish etoufee from Galatoire's Restaurant on the fourth hole. Barbecue shrimp and grits from Pascal's Manale Restaurant on the sixth. Crab and crawfish cake with a jalapeno cheese biscuit from the Pelican Club on the seventh.

"I went to Drago's Monday night, NOLA last night," said Kelly, who is playing in his 10th tournament in New Orleans. "And my good friend Branford Marsalis is taking me somewhere special tonight."

Kelly said his personal best for grilled oysters was 58, which he couldn't match on Wednesday. But three dozen was enough to make the back nine pass in a haze.

"I knew what would happen, but I couldn't stop myself," Kelly said. "The food here is unbelievable."

Stat of the day

Nick Watney earned his first career victory at the TPC Louisiana in 2007. He returns this year with eight top-25 finishes in nine starts; is ranked fourth in the FedExCup standings; and is in the top 15 in scoring average, driving distance, scrambling and total putting.

FEDEXCUP NOTES: ROUND 1
• With his victory last week at the Verizon Heritage, Brian Gay earned 500 points and jumped 22 spaces to seventh in the standings.

Austin

• Lee Janzen moved up 62 places to 78th, while Todd Hamilton moved 63 spots to 84th, after they both tied for fourth at last week's Verizon Heritage.

• Having finished in the top five twice at the TPC Louisiana, Woody Austin is looking to continue his climb up the standings this week after moving up 21 places to 76th due to his tie for 11th finish at the Verizon Heritage.

• At third and fourth in the standings, Kenny Perry and Nick Watney are the only two players who can pass Geoff Ogilvy for first place this week, but they won't have to win to do it. Perry needs a solo fourth-place finish or better to move into first, while Watney needs to finish in no worse than a two-way tie for third.

• Only 22 players can move into the top 10 with a victory this week with K.J. Choi at 58th being the lowest that can make the move.

• With three top-10 finishes in eleven starts, Merrick is averaging almost 100 points per start and enters this week ranked 22nd in the FedExCup standings.

• Merrick has qualified for the Playoffs in each of the first two years of the FedExCup competition, finishing 129th in 2007 and 40th in 2008.

-- Mike Vitti, PGA TOUR Staff

The Film Room

	Opening Shot Beau Estes and Brian Katrek recap Brian Gay's record-setting accomplishments at the Verizon Heritage and preview what to expect in the Big Easy this week. Watch it
	Cink updates his fans With the help of the popular social-networking website Twitter, TOUR star Stewart Cink stays connected with his fans like no other. Watch it
	Toms reflects Former Zurich Classic of New Orleans champion David Toms talked of the importance of his victory in 2001 and compared it to winning his first major. Watch it