Simpson proves he belongs with stellar start at Sony

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Webb Simpson, a four-time All-American, credits a stint on the Nationwide Tour last summer with giving his confidence a boost.

HONOLULU -- Sleep came easy Wednesday night.

Earlier in the day, Webb Simpson had visited the famous North Shore on Oahu to watch the surfers. Then he spent the rest of the afternoon doing something he had a little more expertise in -- fine-tuning his game on the range at Waialae Country Club.

Inside the Numbers

Simpson thru 18 Holes

Category Total Rank Eagles 0 N/A Birdies 5 T10 Pars 12 T38 Bogeys 1 T125 Double Bogeys 0 N/A Other 0 N/A Driving Accuracy 42.9% T65 Driving Distance 284.5 yds. T67 Greens in Regulation 77.8% T6 Putts per Round 29.0 T43 Putts per GIR 1.714 22 Sand Saves 0 N/A

"I'd probably die on those waves," said Simpson, who is more used to the 4-footers off the North Carolina coast than those that rose 25 feet out of the Pacific Ocean.

Thursday morning, a well-rested Simpson made his first start as a PGA TOUR member. And he more than showed he belonged with a 4-under 66 that left him tied with Geoff Ogilvy, Brian Gay and Boo Weekley, one shot off the lead held by Shigeki Maruyama.

"I'm thrilled to death with 4 under," said the 23-year-old from Raleigh, N.C. "I told my caddie that anything under par would be great today, just put us in good shape for the rest of the weekend."

After saying a prayer on the 10th tee, his first of the day, Simpson uncorked a 319-yard drive that settled just shy of the bunker that lays short and right of the green. He chipped up, missed a 4-footer for birdie but successfully negotiated the par putt.

"Once I teed off, everything was okay," said the smiling Simpson, who happened to play with another q-school grad, Gary Woodland, a good friend from college who shot 2 under.

The first birdie of Simpson's PGA TOUR career came courtesy of a 14-foot putt at the 14th hole. He found the left rough on the 16th hole and made bogey to turn in even par, but then found the front nine extremely generous.

A 17-footer on the par-3 fourth hole got Simpson back into red numbers. Then he closed with birdie putts of 8 and 2 feet at Nos. 7 and 8 before grabbing what was then a share of the lead with a two-putt from 48 feet on the par-5 ninth.

"I've been working on my swing," Simpson said. "The big thing for me today was trusting it because of the wind. I knew the wind was going to be here all day. I knew if I could trust it and give myself good enough swings, I'd give myself chances and hopefully stay around par, and luckily I was able to get a few coming in."

Simpson, who played collegiately at Wake Forest, earned his TOUR card when he tied for seventh at the PGA TOUR National Qualifying Tournament last month. The former Walker Cupper already had seven TOUR events under his belt, making the cut in three.

Simpson, a four-time All-American, credits a stint on the Nationwide Tour last summer with giving his confidence a boost. He finished second in his first start, then added a playoff loss and two other top-20 finishes while earning over $148,000 in eight starts.

"Being able to compete with them really helped out a lot," said Simpson, who was a cumulative 68 under in those eight events, with a low of 61.

The security of being a PGA TOUR member also helped. No longer does he have to wait for sponsor's exemptions, Monday qualifiers or try to top-10 his way into the next tournament.

"There's a sense of comfort I felt out there, more than my first couple of PGA TOUR events as a pro," Simpson said. "It's also nice knowing I'm playing the whole year, as opposed to one week at a time. Just a little more comfortable than having to just shoot lights out one week and not knowing when I'm going to play the next."

Simpson's coach, Ted Kiegiel of Raleigh's Carolina Country Club, is in Hawaii, where the weather -- the high winds notwithstanding -- is a lot more conducive to working on his game than back in N.C. this winer. He also says he has a great support system of friend who are "praying for me."

Wake Forest golf coach Jerry Haas told The Charlotte Observer earlier this week that Simpson has all the tools for success.

"You just kind of see something and you say, 'That kid's got it. He's going to make it," Haas said.

And that's a good thing, because Simpson will tell you that he sets his goals high.

"I don't want to limit myself," he said. "I'm just trying to get getter and learn each day, and take it one day as it comes."