Zurich Classic of New Orleans: First-Round Notebook

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AVONDALE, La. -- Dean Wilson carded a first-round 66 in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on Thursday and will take a one-shot lead over Briny Baird, Peter Lonard and Chez Reavie into Friday's second round.

Steve Elkington knows the TPC Louisiana better than most. (Graythen/WireImage)

Inside the Numbers

18-Hole Leaderboard

Player Score 1. Dean Wilson 66 -6 T2. Briny Baird 67 -5 T2. Peter Lonard 67 -5 T2. Chez Reavie 67 -5 T5. Vaughn Taylor 68 -4 T5. Jay Williamson 68 -4 T5. Steve Elkington 68 -4 T5. Cameron Beckman 68 -4 T9. John Mallinger 69 -3 T9. Woody Austin 69 -3 T9. Joe Durant 69 -3 T9. Steve Flesch 69 -3 T9. Harrison Frazar 69 -3 T9. Patrick Sheehan 69 -3 T9. Troy Matteson 69 -3 T9. Nicholas Thompson 69 -3

• This marks the third time in Wilson's PGA TOUR career that he has been a leader/co-leader through 18 holes of a TOUR event. He led the 2006 Arnold Palmer Invitational and went on to tie for 10th, and led the 2006 Northern Trust Open and tied for seventh.

• Wilson's round of 66 is somewhat out of the blue as the 2006 INTERNATIONAL champion has made only three cuts in eight starts this year on the PGA TOUR. His best finish came at the Buick Invitational where he wound up tied for 29th.

• The last time a first-round leader went on to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans was in 1992, when Chip Beck shot a 5-under 67 and was tied with Seve Ballesteros, Brad Bryant and Jay Haas after 18 holes. Beck went on to defeat Greg Norman by a stroke.

• At last week's World Golf Championships-CA Championship, Geoff Ogilvy became only the second 18-hole leader on the 2008 PGA TOUR to go on and win that event, joining K.J. Choi (Sony Open).

• Briny Baird (68) is likely carrying over the momentum from his tie for fourth last week at the inaugural Puerto Rico Open. That marked his first top-5 finish on the PGA TOUR since the 2006 Stanford St. Jude Classic.

• The key to Vaughn Taylor's first-round 68 may have been the fact that he hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation (he led the field in this category on Thursday). Taylor entered the week ranked 129th in that statistic for the 2008 season, where he has only one top-20 finish in eight starts (tie for eighth at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic).

• Second-year PGA TOUR player John Mallinger opened with a round of 69 on Thursday. Mallinger tied for third at the Zurich Classic last year, one of four third-place finishes in his brief TOUR career (2007 -- AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Zurich Classic, Turning Stone Resort Championship; 2008 -- AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am).

• Steve Elkington, who was Pete Dye's player consultant on the TPC Louisiana design, opened with a round of 68 in an event that likely owes him one. Elkington fell ill with food poisoning before the 2005 Zurich Classic and was forced to withdraw in the tournament's debut at the TPC course. Elkington's best finish in 12 prior starts at the Zurich Classic was a tie for 12th in 1986, the first year in which he played the event.

• Players who were bogey-free during the opening round: Chez Reavie (67), Peter Lonard (67), Jay Williamson (68), Cameron Beckman (68) and Steve Stricker (70).

• Defending champion Nick Watney opened with a round of 71. Only four players in tournament history have been able to successfully defend their title: Carlos Franco (1999-2000), Tom Watson (1980-1981), Bo Wininger (1962-1963), and Byron Nelson (1945-1946).

• The Nationwide Tour's Chitimacha Louisiana Open is taking place this week up the road in Lafayette, La. The only past champion of that event in the field at the Zurich Classic this week is Johnson Wagner, who used a victory there in 2006 to earn his PGA TOUR card for 2007. Wagner opened with a round of 1-under 71 on Thursday.

• The par-4 sixth played as the most difficult hole on Thursday with a scoring average of 4.521. The sixth played as the most difficult hole in 2005 as well with a 72-hole average of 4.261.

• Briny Baird recorded an eagle at the par-4 sixth, where he holed his second shot from 208 yards. This marked the first eagle on the sixth since the tournament moved to TPC Louisiana in 2005. Chez Reavie recorded an eagle at the par-4 12th after holing his second shot from 215 yards. These were the only eagles recorded on non-par-5 holes in the first round.

• For a reference, the most difficult hole on the 2008 PGA TOUR to date is the par-4 seventh at Torrey Pines (South), which played to an average of 4.491 at the Buick Invitational.

• J.L. Lewis withdrew prior to the start of the first round on Thursday and was replaced by Justin Bolli.

• Among six past champions in the field this week, Steve Flesch opened with a 69 and is tied for 17th place. The other past champs are Nick Watney (71, tied for 33rd), Carlos Franco (71, tied for 33rd), Scott McCarron (74, tied for 92nd), Tim Petrovic (74, tied for 92nd) and Davis Love III (76, tied for 126th).