The Live Report, Round 1: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
| PGATOUR.COM Instant Access | ||||
|
Send us your thoughts or questions through AOL Instant Messenger (screen name: TheLiveReport) or by e-mail at 
By PGATOUR.COM Staff
GARRIGUS, JOHNSON OUT FRONT FOR FIRST TIME (7:50 p.m.): Neither Robert Garrigus or Dustin Johnson as ever led in the first round or any round in a PGA TOUR event. Garrigus is making his 90th TOUR start this week, while Johnson is making his 36th start. -- Mike McAllister
Prior to Thursday, here are their best positions on TOUR after the first round:
| Best first rounds: Robert Garrigus | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
| Best first rounds: Dustin Johnson | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
LEFTY STILL NOT RIGHT (7:40 p.m.): Phil Mickelson on his even-par 72 at Spyglass: "I had a chance to shoot a lower round, but a few things didn't go my way."
That includes a double-bogey at the par-4 10th. But Mickelson wasn't giving up hope, despite being seven shots back of the leaders after Day 1.
"You don't know how you stand in the field until you get through all three rounds and everyone has played all three courses," he said. "Spyglass is typically the tougher of the courses, but you can shoot a low round out here. But with five par-5s at Poppy, if you play well, you can shoot a low score there." -- Mike McAllister
SINGH'S KNEE HOLDING UP (7:25 p.m.): Vijay Singh, playing in his first tournament after sitting out the previous month following knee surgery, shot an even-par 72 at Poppy Hills. But more important than the score was the condition of his knee. The good news? There were no problems for Singh.
"The knee feels good," the defending FedExCup champion said. "It's good to be back out and playing. I played very well today. I just couldn't make putts.
"There are three days left and I enjoy the golf courses that I have left to play, so I'm looking forward to the next couple of rounds."
Singh won this event in 2004 and lost in a playoff to Steve Lowery last year. -- Mike McAllister
GARRIGUS TAKES ADVANTAGE OF LENGTH (7:00 p.m.): As one of the PGA TOUR's longest hitters, Robert Garrigus woke up Thursday morning, got to Spyglass Hill, saw the damp conditions ... and began smiling. He figured the course, the longest (at 6,953 yards) and toughest of the three in this week's rotation, would play long.
"I was kind of licking my chops," he said.
Eighteen holes later, he was still feeling good after shooting a 7-under 65.
But more important than having a share of the lead, Garrigus seems to be set up to be a contender all week. He'll be in the first group Friday morning at Poppy Hills, which means smooth greens for his front nine. He also expects more wet conditions to help take advantage of his length; he currently leads the TOUR in driving distance at 314.9 yards. Then on Saturday, he'll play Pebble Beach, the easiest of the three courses.
If he can keep the flat stick hot -- he needed just 26 putts Thursday, finishing his round with three straight birdies on Spyglass Hills' seventh, eighth and ninth holes -- then there's no reason he shouldn't be near the top of the leader board come Sunday.
"I like this tournament," he said. "It's nice to get off to a good start." -- Mike McAllister
MURRAY BACK (6:27 p.m.): No report would be complete without a check on this tournament's most popular amateur player, Bill Murray.
After missing last year's event because he was filming a movie, Murray is back this year. He's playing with Tim Herron and after Thursday's round the two are 4 under. -- Brian Wacker
GARRIGUS GRABS LEAD (6:15 p.m.): Robert Garrigus leads the PGA TOUR in driving distance and after a 7-under 65 he leads the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Garrigus had five birdies and an eagle today and took just 26 putts in the process. That's nearly five fewer putts per round than he's average for the season.
Keep an eye on Garrigus as the week goes on, however. Coming into this week, he was ranked 19th in scoring average before the cut. He ranks 51st in third-round scoring average and 123rd in final-round scoring average. That's especially notable considering that Pebble Beach is the easiest of the three courses being used this week. -- Brian Wacker
LAUER NEAR THE LEAD (5:55 p.m.): Matt Lauer, host of NBC's Today Show, is near the top of the amateur leaderboard after he and pro partner Jonathan Kaye turned in a round of 8-under 64.
Lauer, fresh off his interview with President Barack Obama prior to this year's Super Bowl, is a six-handicap. -- Brian Wacker
LOVE AND THE COMMISH (5:35 p.m.): PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem was nervous when he teed off as Davis Love's amateur partner Thursday. But after finishing the first round, he pronounced it as a "fun" day at Pebble Beach, despite his jitters.
"It just came and went during the round," the Commissioner said about his play. "When I hit a bad shot, I'd be nervous on the next shot. The normal thing for any golfer is ... to not want to hit it like that again."
The Commissioner, a 6-handicapper, said he helped out his team with pars on three of his stroke holes, but that he double-bogeyed two of his stroke holes when Love bogeyed, so he counted it as helping out "on one hole."
Still, he's happy to be participating as one of the 180 amateurs this week, as is Love, who shot a 3-under 69 that ended on a down note with a bogey on 17 and a short missed birdie putt on 18.
"It was fun," Love said. "We had a good time. But we were both a little disappointed in our finish." -- Mike McAllister
WI GOT GAME (5:05 p.m.): It's still very early and there's obviously a lot of golf still to be played, but Charlie Wi is 5 under through 14 holes at Pebble Beach -- which is where most of the low scores are being shot.
What's interesting is that Wi works with Vijay Singh's former trainer, Joey Diovisalvi, and just last week Diovisalvi told me to watch out for Wi. This was after two of his other clients, Pat Perez and John Rollins, had played particularly well. Perez, of course, was coming off a win at the FBR Open and Rollins a runner-up at the Buick Invitational.
Fitness obviously plays a role in the golf being played on the PGA TOUR, but having three consecutive weeks where Diovisalvi's guys are playing well is perhaps more than coincidence. -- Brian Wacker
WHO IS BILL LUNDE? (4:50 p.m.): The name on the leaderboard you're probably least familiar with is 33-year-old Bill Lunde. It's taken 11 years for the former Nationwide Tour standout to be fully exempt on the PGA TOUR, but in his rookie season he's adapting well.
Lunde was fifth on the Nationwide Tour money list last year with a half-dozen top 10s, including a win at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational.
In three events this season, Lundee has missed the cut twice, but he also finished T15 at the 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer. Today, he shot a round of 67 on Pebble Beach to finish at 4 under and near the top of the leaderboard. -- Brian Wacker
STAT CHECK (4:30 p.m.): It's probably an anomaly, but a quick check of the driving distance stats for this season reveals a couple of interesting tidbits:
Bubba Watson's driving distance is down. He led the PGA TOUR at 315 yards a pop in 2008, but he's "only" averaged 309 yards so far in 2009. He's 5 yards behind the 314-yard average of leader Robert Garrigus. Watson finished tied for seventh last week in the Buick Invitational and would have finished a lot better had he not struggled to a 77 in the third round.
Kevin Streelman has picked up 11 yards off the tee already in 2009 (292 yards to 303 yards) and has moved from 54th in driving distance to 10th. -- Ryan Smithson
GOOSE IS LOOSE (4:19 p.m.): Retief Goosen, who recently turned 40, has made an appearance on the leaderboard at 4 under through his first seven holes at Poppy Hills.
Goosen began his day on No. 10 there, making an eagle on the 516-yard par-5 hole. He followed with birdies on Nos. 12 and 16 and still has a par 5 to come in No. 18.
Goosen tied for 26th at last week's Buick Invitational, which marked his 2009 PGA TOUR season debut. Though he hasn't really been a major factor since winning the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, Goosen is coming off a 2008 campaign in which he finished T2 at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship and T4 at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. -- Brian Wacker
EAGLE LANDS FOR JOHNSON (4:05 P.M.): Dustin Johnson opened his round by holing his 149-yard approach to the first green at Pebble Beach for an eagle, and he hasn't slowed down much.
Johnson, who is already making his fifth PGA TOUR start of the year, also birdied the fifth and sixth holes to move up the leaderboard. Interestingly, Johnson's length isn't much of an advantage here on the Peninsula. None of the three courses on the rota rely on yardage, and the ball simply doesn't fly well in the misty air. -- Ryan Smithson
QUARTERBACKING THEIR WAY AROUND (3:55 p.m.): One Hall of Fame quarterback and another sure-to-be Hall of Fame quarterback are in the field this week.
Dan Marino, who was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005, is playing with former University of Florida star and admitted football fan Chris DiMarco. The two are 3 under through their first 10 holes on Spyglass Hill and tied for 50th.
Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning, meanwhile, is making his AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am debut and is paired with PGA TOUR rookie Webb Simpson. The two are 2 under through six holes at Spyglass Hill and tied for 84th. -- Brian Wacker
SINGH SOLID SO FAR (3:48 p.m.): Defending FedExCup champion Vijay Singh, who is making his first start since missing the last month after undergoing knee surgery, is even par through his first nine holes at Poppy Hills.
Singh started the day on the back nine and doesn't appear to be rusty, at least with his approach shots. He's hit all nine greens thus far, but he's been unable to make a birdie putt. He has nine consecutive pars to start his round.
Singh won at Pebble Beach in 2004 and last year lost in a playoff to Steve Lowery. -- Mike McAllister
OPEN PREP (3:40 p.m.): Besides the big check, the FedExCup points, the two-year exemption and all the other benefits of winning this week, here's another incentive for the 180 pros playing at Pebble Beach this week:
If you want to win next year's U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, you better win the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am first.
Next year's U.S. Open will be the fifth time Pebble has hosted the major. In the previous four occasions, the champion had already experienced success at Pebble by winning the PGA TOUR's regular-season event.
Tiger Woods, in fact, won his first and only AT&T Pebble Beach crown in 2000, and then a few months later claimed the U.S. Open. -- Mike McAllister
| AT&T Pebble Beach and U.S. Open success | |||||||||||||||
|
ELKINGTON IN THE HUNT (3:25 p.m.): Steve Elkington, a two-time winner of THE PLAYERS Championship and winner of the 1995 PGA Championship, doesn't exactly have what you'd call a stellar record at Pebble Beach. That could change this week. Elk is 4 under through 10 holes at the difficult Spyglass Hill GC and currently one shot off the early pace.
Only once since 2000 has Elkington finished in the top 50 of this event -- a T46 in 2000 -- and he's missed the cut more often than he's made it with four missed cuts in seven appearances on the Monterey Peninsula. Two of those came in each of the last two years. -- Brian Wacker
WEIR'S RECORD AT PEBBLE (2:58 p.m.): Much like Davis Love III, Mike Weir has an outstanding record at Pebble Beach. Unlike Love, he has yet to win here, though his trend of playing well isn't an every-other-year one.
Since 2000, Weir has finished outside the top 14 just twice at Pebble Beach, in 2007 when he missed the cut and in '02 when he tied for 52nd. Other than that, Weir has been about as spectacular as the scenery on the Monterey Peninsula.
So far, Weir is hovering atop of the leaderboard at 5 under through 11 holes that included an eagle on the 18th at Poppy Hills. -- Brian Wacker
| Mike Weir at Pebble Beach since 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
RANKING THE COURSES (2:45 p.m.): It's obviously still early in the first round, but one trend has quickly emerged -- Pebble Beach is the easiest, while Spyglass Hill is the hardest of the three courses that will be used in the first three rounds.
More than three hours into the first round, the stroke average for Pebble Beach is 70.413, while Spyglass Hill is at 73.210. The third course, Poppy Hills, is playing to a stroke average of 71.947. All three courses play to a par of 72.
Of the 14 players currently at 4 under or better, eight are playing Pebble Beach in the first round, including leader Rich Beem, who is 5 under through 12 holes. -- Mike McAllister
MORNING MOVERS (2:40 p.m.): The weather at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am is chilly with intermittent showers with the morning groups making their way around the three courses here.
Steve Lowery, Davis Love III, Hunter Mahan and pro-am playing partner PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem have things rolling. Click here to see video 
of the three, plus other early-round action. -- PGATOUR.COM Staff
LOW AMATEURS (2:31 p.m.): Here are the 2-and-under handicappers among the 180 amateurs in this week's field. -- Mike McAllister
| Amateurs in the field with a handicap of 2 or under | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
THE BIG THREE (2:20 p.m.): Checking on Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and Jim Furyk, none of the three has made a move -- yet.
Mickelson, who has struggled off the tee and on the green and has yet to shoot a round in the 60s this year, is 1 under through nine holes at Spyglass Hill.
Singh, playing for the first time since having knee surgery that sidelined him a month, is even through five holes at narrow Poppy Hills.
Furyk, who is making his 2009 PGA TOUR debut this week, is also even par through six holes at Poppy Hills. -- Brian Wacker
GETTING SOME LOVE (2:00 p.m.): There was a reason Davis Love III was selected second in our Expert Picks for this week. Love has a good track record here -- and has played extremely well every other year since 2000.
Let's look at the last five years, with a broader look in the chart below. Last year, Love finished T24. In 2007, he tied for fourth with a 67 in the second round and a 69 on Sunday. In '06, it was back to a mediocre result with a T33. In '05, you guessed it, he had another strong performance with a tie for ninth after opening with a 65. And in '04, Love missed the cut.
Given that trend, he should be looking at another top 10 here this year. Today, Love is 3 under through nine holes at Pebble Beach. -- Brian Wacker
| Davis Love III at Pebble Beach since 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
EARLY MOVERS (1:45 p.m.): Despite missing the cut in two of his first three events this season, Rich Beem is out to a fast start on Pebble Beach GL with five birdies through his first nine holes today.
That has Beem, who is playing this season with conditional status after finishing 140th on last season's money list, atop the leaderboard at the moment. Mostly, he's been able to get there thanks to some great ballstriking -- with just nine putts through the first nine holes he's either hit it tight on his approach shots or managed to get up and down after missing the green. The two longest putts Beem had to make today were from 12 feet on No. 1 and 21 feet on No. 3.
It's still very early, but this is a good sign for Beem, who tied for 14th at the 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer two weeks ago thanks in part to a couple of 65s. -- Brian Wacker
| Groups We're Watching | ||||||||||||
|
| Live Essentials | ||||
|
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