The Daily Wrap-up, Round 1: The Honda Classic
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) -- Robert Allenby has contended at The Honda Classic each of the last two years, so it's no surprise for him to be atop the leaderboard at PGA National.
Erik Compton's day, however, was far from expected.
Allenby shot a 4-under 66 Thursday to take a one-shot lead after the opening round at PGA National, surviving a day when the wind blew flags straight and the only solace for players was receptive greens. He had a tap-in on the par-4 ninth -- his final hole -- to break away from what was an eight-way tie for the lead.
Allenby missed a 2-footer on the previous hole, so he left nothing to chance on the last, hitting a 6-iron to 6 inches.
"I just sort of played within myself, took one or two clubs more when it was into the wind, tried not to force it and just tried to feel my way around the golf course," said Allenby, who lives just a couple miles from PGA National and finished tied for fourth and tied for fifth in the last two years there.
By the time darkness suspended play, six players -- Charlie Wi, Jeff Overton, Angel Cabrera, Stewart Cink, Will Mackenzie and Sergio Garcia -- all were one shot behind Allenby.
But the big story was Compton, the South Florida native who underwent heart-transplant surgery for the second time last year.
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ALLENBY PLAYING WITH HEAVY HEART
By Craig Dolch, PGATOUR.COM Contributor
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Robert Allenby has been a professional golfer for too long -- 17 years -- to start thinking about winning The Honda Classic just because he has the first-round lead after Thursday's 4-under 66.
But how can he not think about what it would mean to be lifting the trophy late Sunday, less than six weeks after his mother, Sylvia, 71, died of cancer?
"It would definitely mean a great deal to me after losing my mom a month ago," said Allenby, who has a one-shot lead over six golfers: Sergio Garcia, Stewart Cink, Chrlie Wi, Jeff Overton, Angel Cabrera and Will MacKenzie.
Allenby spent the latter part of 2008 desperately trying to win a tournament as a final tribute to his mother, who died of cancer on Jan. 31 in Australia. Problem was, the 37-year-old Aussie tried too hard.
There was the heartbreaking scene at the Australian Masters last November when he broke down with his emotions on the golf course, all in front of a supportive and saddened gallery.
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| Thursday's Best |
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The 365-yard par-4 first hole at PGA National was the easiest with a Thursday scoring average of 3.734.
The 479-yard par-4 sixth hole at PGA National was toughest with a Thursday scoring average of 4.538.
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Robert Allenby rolled up his pants and made bogey from the water on the par-4 sixth hole en route to a 66. 
On a day that didn't yield a lot of birdies, Robert Allenby made six of them on his way to a 4-under 66. | QUOTE OF THE DAY | ||
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INSIDE THE ROPES WITH THE PGA TOUR NETWORK
PGA TOUR Network correspondent Michael Collins 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 golf course was the big winner today as winds got up over 20-mph and players struggled to keep their shots on line. I followed Sergio Garcia in the afternoon and after making a 32 1/2-foot bomb on the ninth hole to get to 4 under, the golf course took a bit of measured revenge. Making one bogey and nothing but pars on the back nine, an ecstatic Garcia told me that this golf course gave nothing today and he was happy to to be in the position he was in. Smart man not saying anything to warrant the golf gods revenge going into round 2.
With such high winds and tough conditions, it was a struggle to get around in less than 5 1/2 hours. The Bear Trap (holes 15-17) had players scratching their heads as all three holes played into brutal wind conditions. Even young star Rory McIlroy was not immune to the fury that was the par-3 17th as he had to hit two shots out of the water on his way to a triple-bogey 6. Didn't dampen the teenagers spirits though -- you can't throw a fit when mom and dad are out watching.
Robert Allenby, with the lead at the end of the first round, had a finish -- bogey, birdie, bogey, birdie -- that I don't know if he'd be happy, sad or indifferent with. He's either gonna sleep with his putter again or put it in the closet as a threat.
| What the top finishers said... | ||||||||||||
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| Live Essentials | ||||
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FIRST-ROUND NOTEBOOK: THE HONDA CLASSIC
By John Bush, PGA TOUR Staff
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Play was suspended due to darkness at 6:30 p.m. ET, with nine players yet to complete their opening round. Those players will be back in position at 7:45 a.m. on Friday, with the second round beginning as scheduled at 7:00 a.m.
• Robert Allenby posted a 4-under 66 on Thursday to take the clubhouse lead by one stroke over Stewart Cink, Charlie Wi, Jeff Overton, Angel Cabrera, Will MacKenzie and Sergio Garcia.
• That 4-under 66 represents the highest opening-round lead in relation to par in a non-major championship since Retief Goosen led the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational with the same score.
• Without any players capable of surpassing Allenby when first-round play resumes on Friday, this will represent the fourth time in his career (311 starts) that he has held at least a share of the opening-round lead. Most recently, he carried the 18-hole lead on to a tie for seventh finish at the 2008 British Open. His other leads led to a tie for third finish at the 2007 World Golf Championships-CA Championship.
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