First round: Aided by an ace, Johnson takes early lead
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Richard S. Johnson aced the 14th hole on his way to shooting a 63 that gave him a one stroke lead over the Pappas brothers after the first round of the U.S. Bank Championship on Thursday.
Deane and Brenden Pappas shot 6-under 64 and Robert Garrigus, Dean Wilson and Patrick Sheehan were another shot behind. Defending champion Joe Ogilvie and Jesper Parnevik were in a group of 10 tied at 66.
Johnson's hole-in-one with a 7-iron was the 18th this year on the PGA TOUR but the first on the Brown Deer Park Golf Course since Woods did it in 1996. His ace came in the final round of a tournament in which he tied for 60th.
The ace followed three straight birdies. He had a bogey two holes later, but sank a putt of just under 10 feet on the par-5 18th to regain the lead.
Kenny Perry, who won the tournament in 2003, shot 67.
Nobody was happier to be playing than Perry, who could finally get away from the criticism that's come his way because he decided to play in this tournament instead of the British Open.
"It's nice to get back in my office. It's nice to get back where I don't have to listen to all that baloney," said Perry, who has won three of the last five tournaments he started including last week's John Deere Classic.
Johnson has struggled this season and was only 2 under at the turn. But on the back nine he birdied 11 through 13, starting with a 15-footer. He hit fine approach shots to set up birdie putts of 4 and 5 feet the next two holes. His next shot and the par-3, 188-yard No. 14 was perfect.
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| Thursday's Best |
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The par-5, 556-yard 6th hole played the easiest with a Thursday scoring average of 4.447.
The par-4, 485-yard 4th hole was the toughest on Thursday with a scoring average of 4.394.
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Richard S. Johnson aced the par-3 14th hole with a 7-iron from 185 yards to take the lead. Tiger Woods was the last to ace that hole.
Johnson had the day's best shot and the lowest round. Johnson fired a 7-under 63 with six birdies and a bogey to go with that ace.| QUOTE OF THE DAY | ||
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DOUBLE TAKE: THE PAPPAS BROTHERS
Having trouble telling the Pappas brothers apart? You're probably not alone. Here's a handy guide for the two South Africans who are just one shot behind leader Richard S. Johnson after Thursday's first round:
• Both were born in Phalaborwa, South Africa. Deane, the oldest, was born in 1967. Brenden was born in 1970.
• Both brothers played golf at the University of Arkansas. Deane, a three-time All-American and former teammate of John Daly, turned pro in 1992. Brenden, also an All-American, turned pro in 1993. Both are in the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor.
• Deane has two Nationwide Tour wins (2000 Cleveland Open, 2001 Monterrey Open). Brenden has one Nationwide Tour win (2006 The Rex Hospital Open).
• Deane's best PGA TOUR finish was a second at the 2002 Southern Farm Bureau Classic. Brenden's best was a second at the, where else?, 2003 Southern Farm Bureau Classic.
• Brenden has played more than Deane this year. Brenden has made four cuts in 13 previous PGA TOUR starts; his best finish was ninth at the Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular. Brenden missed the cut in his only Nationwide Tour start. This is Deane's first start in a PGA TOUR event this year; he has missed the cut in his four Nationwide Tour starts.
• In their PGA TOUR careers, Deane has made $1,148,909 in 117 starts while Brenden has made $2,447,801 in 120 starts.
• Deane's wife is named Shona; they have two children, Callen and Devyn. Brenden's wife is named Berdene; they have twin sons, Troy and Alex.
• Deane once loaned Brenden $16,500 to get his golfing career off the ground. That's what older brothers do.
PERRY'S QUESTIONABLE DECISION? FUNK GETS IT
Some players and media members have questioned Kenny Perry's decision to skip the British Open to play in the U.S. Bank Championship. But fellow Milwaukee competitor Fred Funk was sympathetic of Perry's situation. After all, he went through it himself in 2004 when he opted to skip the British Open at Royal Troon to concentrate on earning Ryder Cup points at the B.C. Open and U.S. Bank the following week.
The move paid off. Funk finished T40 at the B.C., then T2 behind winner Carlos Franco in Milwaukee, helping to seal his spot on the U.S. squad.
"Oh, I got criticized for it, yeah," Funk recalled this week. "...You set yourself up for it and expect to have it."
Funk is fully supportive of the decision Perry made, even though golf fans in England were hoping to see the hottest golfer on TOUR. Perry has three wins in the past two months to stamp his spot on this year's U.S. Ryder Cup team.
"He had his schedule planned out, and he's just sticking to his plan and it's working really well," Funk said. "I won't criticize him. I've done the same thing. I think we have a right to play where we want to play, and he's had great success here. ... This little run he's on, it's just unfolded perfectly."
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ALL IN A DAY'S WORK
Mark Wilson got off to a respectable start with a 1-under 69 at the U.S. Bank Championship in his home state. His week, on the other hand, didn't begin quite as well.
Wilson, a native of Menomonee Falls, Wis., who now lives near Chicago, was driving to a charity tournament on Monday before this week's event. He'd had an uneventful drive from Chicago and was only 10 minutes from the course when he ran over a few pieces of stone in the middle of Highway 45.
Flat tire. That 10 minutes quickly changed to 30. Though he'd last changed a tire in 2002 at a Nationwide Tour event, he was a little rusty and couldn't locate the tire-changing tools in his car.
| 13 | Including today, the number of consecutive rounds Kenny Perry has fired in the 60s. |
| 18 | Number of holes-in-one on the PGA TOUR in 2008. |
| 22 | Years since a Monday qualifier won. Deane Pappas was a Monday qualifier this week. |
"I mean, I'm looking in every compartment, and they had built a little storage area for all of it above one of the wheels," Wilson, the 2007 Honda Classic winner, said.
He moved the car onto the asphalt -- where "cars are coming at you at 70 miles an hour" -- and hurried to change the tire. Wilson made it to the course just in time and played nine holes with the two high school teams who'd raised the most money for the event.
"I just had my set (of clubs), and so I thought maybe someone would stop because they saw the big Ping bag laying on the side of the road and maybe think they could get a few dozen balls out of helping me out, but no one stopped," Wilson said, then joked, "I wasn't cute enough I guess."
THINGS TO WATCH ON FRIDAY:
1. Joe Ogilvie. The defending champion is just three strokes off the lead set by Johnson in the first round. Ogilvie opened with a 66 this year compared to a 67 last year. Can we expect a repeat performance?
2. Frank Lickliter II. He was in the hunt after the first round of the John Deere Classic last week only to get disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard on Friday. Lickliter is back this week and currently tied for seventh. Do you think he'll be checking tomorrow's scorecard very carefully?
3. Steve Flesch. A two-time winner last season, Flesch has only one top-10 finish this year. After one round in Milwaukee, he's tied for seventh. Watch out for him this weekend.
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