First round: Matteson starts week with career-low round
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida (AP) -- It didn't take Troy Matteson long to realize it was going to be a special round of golf in the Children's Miracle Network Classic at Disney on Thursday.
Matteson opened with an eagle on the Palm Course, ran off three straight birdies at the turn and wound up with a career-low round of 9-under 63 to take a one-shot lead.
"When you start like that, it kind of puts you at ease," Matteson said. "It was perfect out there today. I've been looking for the right feel, the right grip. And I just started making some putts."
Jimmy Walker, who needs a victory in the PGA TOUR's final tournament to avoid going back to Q-school, opened with a 64 and was one shot behind with Scott Verplank and Kevin Streelman, who are both well inside the top 125 on the money list, the cutoff for keeping a card.
Former PGA champion Rich Beem, who needs to finish at least in the top five to avoid losing his card for the first time in 10 years, was among those at 65. Jeff Overton, holding down the 125th spot, opened with a 67.
The most notable round of the day might have been a 70 from Erik Compton, playing on a sponsor's exemption. The 28-year-old Compton received his second heart transplant just six months ago and recently advanced through the first stage of Q-school. The TOUR granted him permission to use a cart.
"I'm just dumb enough to think I could win this thing," Compton said. "It's not like we're out there boxing. We're trying to hit a golf ball into a hole. I feel like I have a really good golf swing, and I can putt the ball as well as anyone."
Matteson added another eagle on the back nine of the Palm Course, the first time he has made two eagles in a round since last year on the Palm Course at Disney.
Verplank, regarded as one of the better putters on TOUR, is finishing what he calls his worst year with the flat stick. He has failed to win, narrowly missed out as a Captain's pick for the Ryder Cup and is 94th on the money list, his lowest position since 1997.
"I've been out here for 22 years, and this has been the worst putting year I've ever had," Verplank said. "But today, I felt like a kid again. I made the ones I should make. So hopefully, it will stick with me."
The season-ending tournament may lack for star power -- most of the big names are in China for the European Tour opener or don't play the Fall Series -- but is filled with less obvious drama. It is critical for those on the fringe fighting to earn their exempt status for 2009.
Beem is at No. 139 and was joined in the group at 65 by Robert Garrigus (No. 141) and Robert Gamez (No. 190), who also needs a victory to crack the top 125. Winning, however, comes with a two-year exemption.
Among those who opened with a 66 were Stewart Cink, at No. 9 the highest-ranked player from the money list; and Davis Love III, who sewed up his card two weeks ago after a year spent recovering from ankle surgery.
Love is trying to cap off his year with a victory, and he could also extend his TOUR-record streak to 14 years earning at least $1 million. He would need to finish inside the top 10 to have a chance at that.
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| Thursday's Best at the Magnolia Course |
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The par-5, 526-yard 10th was easiest with a Thursday scoring average of 4.438.
The par-4, 492-yard fifth was toughest with a Thursday scoring average of 4.297.
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Robert Gamez, who's tied for fifth after an opening-round 65, notched an eagle at the 10th hole thanks to this spectacular approach shot. 
Troy Mattesson had the lowest round of the day, shooting a 9-under 63 at the Palm Course. His card included two eagles, six birdies and a bogey. | QUOTE OF THE DAY | ||
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MIRACLES REALLY DO HAPPEN
What is it that they sing in the Disney movie Cinderella? "A dream is a wish your heart makes"? This week, each player -- especially those outside the top 125 on the Money List -- are dreaming and wishing that they can win the season's final event.
One player, however, has a slightly different perspective this week. About six months ago, Erik Compton's heart wasn't doing much wishing on the golf course. In fact, it wasn't doing much at all. Compton received his first heart transplant as a 12-year-old. At age nine, he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a disease where the heart enlarges and has a harder time pumping blood.
He suffered a heart attack last October and received his third heart on May 20. Compton rehabbed for the next five months then participated in the first stage of q-school last week, where he miraculously made it to the next stage.
The word "miracle" isn't lost on Compton, especially this week as he plays in the Children's Miracle Network Classic, to which Compton received a sponsor's exemption. He shot a 2-under 70 at the Palm Course and is tied for 61st after one round.
"Obviously it's a very fitting event, the Children's Miracle Network, and considering everything that I've been through, I kind of know what kids are going through, because I've been there," Compton said. "..It's a great opportunity for me to be here with my wife and my family and to show off my talent and show that I'm still alive."
To learn more about Compton and his story, watch this video.
A PERFECT PAIRING
| 6 | Number of consecutive birdies Kevin Streelman made on Thursday, which ties the longest streak of 2008. |
| 12 | Cuts Scott Verplank has made in a row at Disney, which is the longest active streak at the event. |
| 15 | Number of consecutive rounds in which Steve Marino has scored par or better. |
The tournament at Disney World is one of the only events on the PGA TOUR where players can select their partners. Take, for example, the pairing of Kevin Streelman and Brett Rumford. The two met when paired together at the Travelers Championship. Both were rookies and, as they chatted on the course, their wives became instant friends while following their husbands.
"I played with him the first rounds of The Travelers, and Courtney and Sally walked together and they put together dinner without us even knowing that night," Streelman, who's tied for second after one round, said. "And [they] didn't really know anybody over here in the States. This was [their] first time in the States, and us being kind of newlyweds and young couple out here, we just hit it off well."
While Streelman is safely inside the 125 on the Money List, his pal is not so lucky. Rumford is 164th in total 2008 earnings and currently tied for 50th at this week's event.
"A couple weeks of the year we're allowed to request who we play with. This is the first time I've heard of it or done it, so I asked Brett last week if he wanted to do it, and he said yeah, he'd love to," Streelman said. "I found myself rooting for him more than I have for any other player I've played with this year just because him and his wife and me and my wife are very close friends, and I want him to be out here.
"I'd say it's more of that tone as far as people rooting for their buddies and rooting for their friends and people that have been supportive of us in the past. So that's what I think is cool about our sport is it's not like we're fighting. In a way we are fighting each other and jockeying for positions, but we do so a lot more amicably, if that makes sense."
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CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK CLASSIC: FIRST-ROUND NOTEBOOK
By Chris Reimer, PGA TOUR Media Official
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Troy Matteson's 9-under 63 in the first round on the Palm Course is his best round on the PGA TOUR. His previous best was a 64 on several occasions with the last coming at the 2008 John Deere Classic where he missed the cut.
• Matteson has two top-10 finishes in Florida this season (tie for second, PODS Championship; tie for seventh, Ginn sur Mer Classic).
• Matteson (PG, holes 1 and 14) and Mathias Gronberg (MG, holes 4 and 10) each registered a pair of eagles in the first round.
• Matteson has made 15 of 29 cuts this season.
• Matteson has been the first-round leader once this season. He shot a 7-under 65 at the Buick Invitational to take the first-round lead before Tiger Woods took over the lead for the next three rounds.
• Jimmy Walker's 8-under 64 is his best round on the PGA TOUR. His previous best round was a 65 at the 2008 Sony Open in Hawaii and 2008 Buick Open.
• Kevin Streelman posted a 6-under-par 30 on the back nine of the Magnolia Course en route to an 8-under-par 64. Streelman's career low was a third-round 62 at the Travelers Championship where he tied for 10th.
INSIDE THE ROPES WITH THE PGA TOUR NETWORK
XM Satellite Radio announcer Bob Stevens offers these observations from Thursday's action. Listen to PGA TOUR Live coverage on XM 146 or right here at PGATOUR.COM.
With all the focus on earning or saving your TOUR card at this final event of the season, you'd think the all-important Money List would be what's on everyone's mind. But not entirely.
Stewart Cink doesn't need to be here. He's ninth on the money list and hasn't played since that rigorous Playoff stretch concluded with the Ryder Cup victory and the TOUR Championship. So I expected that the guy who takes the family to Hilton Head the week after the Masters every year would be more focused on theme parks with his kids. But they're tied up with school commitments, so he's here, alone, trying to stay sharp with one last competitive week before the Mercedes-Benz Championship at Kapalua in January. He owes his opening 66 in part to a friend of his mother's, who happened to be standing in the way of his errant tee shot at the next-to-last hole, keeping it out of a jungle hazard. Instead of a bogey or worse, he got up and down for par. Now that's a good friend!
Boo Weekley also hasn't played since winning the Ryder Cup, but he's here as a treat to his theme park-loving son plus his wife Karyn and her dad, who've always wanted to drive at the Richard Petty Driving Experience. He told me she got the car up to 126 mph on the track. Needless to say, he's the one in charge of driving home!
Robert Garrigus needs the money. He's 141st on the Money List and needs a top-5 finish to keep his card for next year. He opened with an excellent 65 on the Palm Course, yet he was almost as excited about catching three bass over six pounds, including a 9-1/2 pounder, in the lakes of the Magnolia Course earlier in the week. He hopes to keep his ball out of those same ponds come Friday and the weekend.
THINGS TO WATCH ON FRIDAY
1. Jimmy Walker. He's 192nd on the Money List and needs a win to keep his PGA TOUR card for next year. Walker is tied for second following Thursday's round and has three days to secure his 2009 spot.
2. Steve Marino. Marino is 41st on the Money List after a very successful season, but the young golfer still hasn't captured his first PGA TOUR title. He's just waiting for that breakout victory, which could come this week since he opened with a 65.
3. Tom Pernice Jr. He'll join the Champions Tour next year, but Pernice still has a shot to earn a PGA TOUR victory. Pernice is tied for 10th after opening with a 66.
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