The Daily Wrap-Up, Round 1: Buick Invitational
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Camilo Villegas seems to play his best golf when Tiger Woods isn't around to defend a title.
Villegas holed out for an eagle early in his round and made a string of birdies late for a 9-under 63 on the easier North Course at Torrey Pines, giving him a three-shot lead Thursday in the Buick Invitational as he goes for a bizarre hat trick.
A victory this week would be his third straight at a tournament where Woods was the defending champion.
Villegas won the BMW Championship and TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola last fall to close out the FedExCup portion of the season -- both won by Woods the previous year -- and he got off to a blazing start on a cloudy, chilly day along the Pacific bluffs.
He hit a lob wedge over the bunker and into the hole for eagle on the par-4 second hole to quickly put his name atop the leaderboard, then built his lead with three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the back nine.
Davis Love III, coming up on two pivotal weeks as he tries to get into the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, and Aaron Baddeley each shot 66 on the North while playing in the same group.
The best score on the South Course, site of the U.S. Open last summer, belonged to Scott Sterling and Matthew Goggin at 69. Given the disparity of these courses, the leaderboard doesn't sort itself out until everyone has played both sides.
• To read the remainder of this story, click here.
VILLEGAS BOUNCES BACK AFTER BAD WEEK
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
SAN DIEGO -- The thorns of the cactus that attached themselves to the fleshy side of Camilo Villegas' hand only added insult to injury.
What actually hurt worse was that early exit he made at the FBR Open when Villegas bogeyed his final hole on Friday.
"I wasn't very proud of the way I missed the cut last week," he acknowledged. "I think I played better than I scored. My short game wasn't very good, so I decided to show up early here and work hard on it."
Villegas spent Monday in Carlsbad, Calif., at the Titleist Performance Institute fine-tuning his chipping and his irons, trying to get the right spin with all his clubs. And judging by his performance during the first round of the Buick Invitational the time was well-spent.
Villegas tied his career low of 63 on the North Course to seize a three-stroke lead over Davis Love III and Aaron Baddeley. All three must now tackle last year's U.S. Open venue on Friday when there's a 90 percent chance of rain.
While some players wasted time complaining about the luck -- or, lack of it -- of the draw, though, the young Colombian was philosophical.
• To read the remainder of this story, click here.
| Thursday's Best |
|
The par-5 14th hole on the North Course at Torrey Pines was the easiest with a scoring average of 4.692.
The par-4 eighth hole on the South Course at Torrey Pines was the toughest with a scoring average of 3.436.
|
Pat Perez pitched in for birdie from the bunker on No. 16 on his way to a 1-over 73. 
Camilo Villegas matched his career-low round with a 9-under 63 that included eight birdies and an eagle. | QUOTE OF THE DAY | ||
|
INSIDE THE ROPES WITH THE PGA TOUR NETWORK
PGA TOUR Network correspondent Bob Stevens offers these observations from Thursday's action. Listen to PGA TOUR Live coverage on XM 146/SIRIUS 209 or right here at PGATOUR.com.
The tournament opened with a twist as the Marine Corps Band played on the first tee and a handful of the large contingent of pros who are San Diego natives were introduced to the appreciative galleries. Almost every TOUR player from San Diego is either the son of a veteran, or has a neighbor or friend who either currently works, or used to be, in the military. By the way, all active military personnel and their families are being admitted free this week.
First-round leader Camilo Villegas isn't a "kid" on TOUR anymore. He's significantly slowed his pace around the greens, taking extra time to evaluate his possibilities and it paid off in his two late-season wins in 2008 and again Thursday. He walked all the way up to the green to check out the break before holing a 40-yard pitch shot for eagle at the second hole and even pulled the flagstick himself before holing out from the rough off the 17th green. Confidence and maturity have him thinking he can win every time he plays now.
We all know players who'll toss clubs or maybe even drag the putter home behind the car after an ugly round, but when I suggested that to Padraig Harrington after a three-putt bogey at the 12th and a four-jack at the 17th for double bogey, the world's No. 3 player said that no, that putter had been awfully good to him (I guess, with three major wins in the last six starts, he's right) and intimated that if anyone should be punished it should be the mechanic, not the tools. The always-classy Harrington will find a way to bounce back from a 1-under 71 on the North Course.
| What the top finishers said... | ||||||||||||||||
|
| Read full interview transcripts | ||||
|
| Live Essentials | ||||
|
FIRST-ROUND NOTEBOOK: BUICK INVITATIONAL
By Doug Milne, PGA TOUR Staff
SAN DIEGO -- Camilo Villegas got off to the hottest, most dramatic start of the day. Following a birdie at the par-5 first hole on the North Course, Villegas holed out his approach shot on the par-4 second to get to 3 under through two holes. Another birdie at the par-3 third moved him to 4 under. Villegas would go on to a 63 and three-shot lead over Davis Love III and Aaron Baddeley.
• Since 1996, only two players have held the first-round lead while starting on the South Course at Torrey Pines: Troy Matteson (2008) and Davis Love III (2000).
• Villegas is playing in his third event of the 2009 season. At the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship, he tied for 12th place, followed by a missed cut last week at the FBR Open. Prior to last week, his last two missed cuts, the 2008 Masters and 2008 The Barclays, were followed by top-10 finishes in his next event.
• Villegas has twice held at least a share of the first-round lead in the past. At the 2007 Deutsche Bank Championship, his opening-round, 8-under 63 gave him a two-stroke lead, which ended with a tie for ninth place. At last year's BMW Championship, he opened with a 5-under 65, which he carried all the way to the winner's circle for his first PGA TOUR win.
• To read the remainder of this story,click here.
Shop your favorite brand name golf equipment and accessories at SHOP.PGATOUR.COM
FAN ZONE
PGATOUR.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network