Round 1, AT&T National
By PGATOUR.COM staff
The first groups are ready to tee off in today's first round of the AT&T National. Here's how it sets up:
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EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR Network on-site correspondent Doug Bell previews Thursday's first round:
• A huge gallery is expected for Thursday's 1:02 ET starting time featuring tournament host Tiger Woods, reigning U.S. Open champ Lucas Glover, and Charley Hoffman. The world's No. 1 looked very sharp in Wednesday's pro-am, firing a 6 under par 64.
• Tiger is hands on in many areas for his tournament, with course set-up being at the top of the list. He smiled when asked if he planned on toughening things up.
• The rough at Congressional is high but manageable, and the greens are running somewhere around 13 on the Stimpmeter. The tricky part at Congressional is when you miss the greens and wind up in the heavy stuff just off the edges, or in one of the many cavernous bunkers.
• Lucas Glover contends that he is not feeling any fatigue, despite playing in his third straight tourney, and shrugged his shoulders when asked about needing some time off to enjoy his U.S. Open triumph. He told me that his first major has only served as motivation for the rest of the year. Glover, the first player to use a square-headed driver to win a major, continues to hit it long and straight off the tee.
• Defending champ Anthony Kim is hitting his patented fade again, thanks to a nagging thumb injury that has finally healed. Kim admitted that up until a few weeks ago, he had to hit a draw to compensate for the pain and that caused him plenty of problems hitting fairways and greens. Consecutive top 20 finishes have Kim feeling good about defending is title.
• His personal strength coach -- and good friend -- Darby Rich is again traveling with Kim, who looks strong and confident. He plays with Davis Love III and Jim Furyk at 8 a.m. ET. Furyk has finished third in each of the first two AT&T Nationals and was fifth in the 1997 U.S. Open held here.
• Steve Marino, who grew up about a half hour from Congressional, will again have plenty of support from family and friends as he continues to search for his first PGA TOUR victory. Some of his college buddies have gotten pretty vocal at Congressional, and Marino says that he and playing partners Cliff Kresge and Billy Mayfair can expect more of the same starting at 8:37 a.m. ET. Marino has spent lots of time this week working on his bunker play.
• This is also a home game for Fred Funk, the former golf coach at the University of Maryland. The 51-year-old Funk was the oldest player to make the cut at the U.S. Open. He continues to play on an ailing right knee that might require replacement surgery in the offseason.
• Funk is using a new product called The Golf Performance Chip. He sticks it directly on the outside of his knee and is helping him manage the pain. He says other players on the Champions Tour are using the same product.
• Paul Goydos comes into this event playing the best golf of his career, hoping to build on three top-five finishes in his last four tournaments. Even though he missed the cut here last year, the 45-year-old Goydos hopes to continue riding his wave of momentum, which includes 11 of his last 14 rounds in the 60s, including his last seven in a row.
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