The best videos from the first round of The Heritage. We’ll update this entry all day with new videos:
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
| Zach Johnson birdied from the back of the green on the first | Click to watch |
| Stewart Cink rolled in a 23-footer for birdie on the 10th | Click to watch |
| Bill Haas birdied the iconic 18th to go out in 30 on Thursday | Click to watch |
| Brendan Steele was off and running in his bid to go back-to-back | Click to watch |
| Camilo Villegas chips in from 43 feet for eagle at No. 5 | Click to watch |
| Fredrik Jacobson sinks 31-foot birdie putt at No. 16 | Click to watch |
| Matt Kuchar rolls in 17-foot putt at No. 12 | Click to watch |
AFTER THEIR ROUNDS
| Tim Herron talks about his 6-under 65 | Click to watch |
| Matt Bettencourt talks about his 6-under 65 | Click to watch |
| Arjun Atwal talks about his 6-under 65 | Click to watch |
| Garrett Willis talks about his 7-under 64 | Click to watch |
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM Site Producer
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Arjun Atwal sees Tiger Woods’ game more than just about anyone. The two are good friends and practice nearly every day together at Isleworth.
So what does Atwal think of Woods’ chances at the Masters?
“He’s really close,” Atwal said. “Like he said, if he could just bring it out … it’s time to bring it out. I think he’s going to do just fine around here because it’s like his home golf course. It’s just a mater of him bringing it from the range to here.”
Last year of course Woods tied for fourth at Augusta National, where he made his return from a five-month hiatus amid a swirl of personal trials and tribulations.
And he’s won this tournament four times, though the last was in 2005.
“At home [his game] is really good,” Atwal continued. “When the bell goes off it’s a different story and you have to make putts under the gun.”
So far, that’s been the problem for Woods, whose best finish this year was a tie for 10th at TPC Blue Monster at Doral after a final-round 66.
Two weeks ago at Bay Hill, Woods shot his highest score in more than 10 years at the event, a 73, in the opening round before finishing in a tie for 24th -- his lowest finish there since a tie for 56th in 1999.
Not that Woods is bothered by no longer being the favorite at the Masters.
“He’s the same,” Atwal said. “He doesn’t care about what people think about him being the favorite or not. His mindset is always the same.”
ORLANDO, Fla. – The Tavistock Cup, which since 2004 has been an interclub match between Isleworth’s and Lake Nona’s golf professional members, will have a different look this week.
For the first time, four clubs will compete for the Tavistock Cup, with 24 players involved in the competition. The first round of the two-day tournament at Isleworth Golf & Country Club begins in less than an hour (10:50 a.m. ET).
Monday’s format will consist of six matches of four-ball ( see schedule below). Tuesday’s competition will be singles matches.
Isleworth and Lake Nona will be two of the clubs in the competition, along with Albany and Queenwood. Albany is a new luxury resort community in The Bahamas and Queenwood is an exclusive private members’ club in the Surrey countryside near London.
Tiger Woods, fresh off his final-round 66 that bumped him up to 10th place at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship on Sunday, will compete for Team Albany. Reigning U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell leads Team Lake Nona ( team rosters below).
Tavistock Cup contestants play for prize money, team hole-in-one prizes and the title of World Golf And Country Club Champion.
The two-tournament will be broadcast live on the Golf Channel starting at Noon ET.
TAVISTOCK TEAMS
| TEAM ALBANY | TEAM ISLEWORTH | TEAM LAKE NONA | TEAM QUEENWOOD |
| Arjun Atwal | Robert Allenby | Ross Fisher | Thomas Bjorn |
| Ernie Els | Stuart Appleby | Retief Goosen | Darren Clarke |
| Trevor Immelman | Brian Davis | Peter Hanson | David Howell |
| Ian Poulter | J.B. Holmes | Graeme McDowell | Soren Kjeldsen |
| Justin Rose | Sean O’Hair | Henrik Stenson | Paul McGinley |
| Tiger Woods | Lee Janzen | Oliver Wilson | Adam Scott |
MONDAY’S FOUR-BALL MATCHES
| 1 | Arjun Atwal-Tiger Woods (Albany) | Thomas Bjorn-Adam Scott (Queenwood) | |
| 2 | Robert Allenby-Stuart Appleby (Isleworth) | Peter Hanson-Henrik Stenson (Lake Nona) | |
| 3 | Ian Poulter-Justin Rose (Albany) | Retief Goosen-Graeme McDowell (Lake Nona) | |
| 4 | Brian Davis-J.B. Holmes (Isleworth) | Soren Kjeldsen-Paul McGinley (Queenwood) | |
| 5 | Lee Janzen-Sean O’Hair (Isleworth) | Ross Fisher-Oliver Wilson (Lake Nona) | |
| 6 | Ernie Els-Trevor Immelman (Albany) | Darren Clarke-David Howell (Queenwood) |
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Arjun Atwal has withdrawn from the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am due to a back injury.
Atwal started on the back nine and had just completed nine holes – making a double bogey on the 17th and a quintuple bogey at the 18th hole. Atwal picked up his first PGA TOUR victory at the Wyndham Championship last year.
KAPALUA, Hawaii -- The 2011 PGA TOUR season has officially started, with Arjun Atwal hitting the opening tee shot off the No. 1 tee at the Plantation Course at Kapalua.
His playing partner, Rocco Mediate, immediately followed. Both players found the fairway of the par-4 520-yard hole.
Thursday’s early-morning rains at Kapalua have subsided and should not be a factor the rest of the day, with the forecast calling for partly cloudy skies by noon. There is a chance of isolated showers, however. Winds could gust up to 25 mph, which is not a surprise at this course.
Atwal, by the way, is playing in his first Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He qualified for the champions-only event by winning the Wyndham Championship last year. He’s one of 13 players who are making their first appearances as this event. – Mike McAllister
The last time we saw Arjun Atwal, he was hoisting the hardware for winning the Wyndham Championship. (Because he hadn’t accrued enough earnings by the RBC Canadian Open while playing on a Major Medical Exemption, Atwal lost his temporary status on the PGA TOUR; and even though he won Wyndham, he hadn’t earned enough points to make it into the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.)
Well, it sure looks like the month off didn’t hurt Atwal any. He opened with a 66 Thursday at the Viking Classic, where he has a three-way share of the lead. At one point, Atwal made five birdies over seven holes in the middle of his round. He also missed just one green in regulation, despite hitting only six fairways.
Arjun Atwal had never even had a 54-hole lead on the PGA TOUR, much less won. Sunday, he had both, sealing his first career victory with a clutch up-and-down par on the final hole to win by one.
David Toms had put plenty of pressure on Atwal, finishing ahead of him and posting a 19-under total. In the end, though, Atwal’s 67 was just good enough.
Atwal won’t be in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup because his temporary TOUR membership from a minor medical extension expired after he failed to earn enough money by the RBC Canadian Open. Locking up a TOUR card for the next couple of years will more than make up for it, though.
“I have no words to describe it,” said Atwal, who has battled a serious shoulder injury the last year. “I really grinded it today. I was so nervous over that putt.”
Atwal had started the day with a three-shot lead but at one point seven guys shared the top spot on the leaderboard Sunday. Atwal, though, made just one bogey Sunday and two over his final two rounds. He was also in the top three in the field in driving and putting for the week, needing just 28 putts on Sunday. None felt better than the final one, obviously.
Atwal also became the first Monday qualifier to win on TOUR in 24 years. Fred Wadsworth was the last to do it at the 1986 Southern Open. Atwal is also the first Indian-born player ever to win on the TOUR.
Arjun Atwal just drained a 6-footer for birdie at the 16th hole to move into sole possession of the lead.
The 27-year-old from Calcutta has moved to 20 under with two holes remaining. He’s one ahead of David Toms, who birdied three of his last four holes – including one of just 12 so far at the 18th hole.
Atwal would not be eligible to play in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup regardless of what happens. But a win would give him job security in the form of a two-year TOUR exemption.
Arjun Atwal and Justin Leonard now share the lead after each made birdie a few minutes ago. How long they stay there, who knows? Both just hit errant shots on the very next hole that will leave them scrambling for par.
Three-shot leads are usually comforting, except when they are at places like Sedgefield, where there have been a number of low-60s scores all week. That’s what Arjun Atwal will be dealing with come Sunday. He leads by three after a 65 Saturday, but there are nine players within four shots of his lead. And a few of those guys -- namely Lucas Glover, David Toms and Justin Leonard -- are savvy enough to not get rattled by the deficit.
As for Atwal, he’s done pretty much everything right this week -- he leads the field in birdies, is fourth in driving accuracy and fourth in putts per green in regulation. Obviously if he keeps that up, he should win.
A side story tomorrow will also be who played his way into or out of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup ( click here for the projected standings). There will be a lot of jockeying throughout the leaderboard for that.