On the mend, Cejka's health and game improving
By Stan Awtrey, PGATOUR.COM Contributor
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. -- When the 47-foot putt on the 17th hole hit the back of cup and fell in for a birdie, Alex Cejka exhaled and chuckled. The odds of making such a putt are long, but it was indicative of the sort of day Cejka enjoyed throughout the first round of the Verizon Heritage.
That was the seventh birdie of Cejka's bogey-free round -- a 64 -- that gave him the early lead at Harbour Town. It was two shots better than Cejka's best score of the year, a 66 at The Honda Classic, and it showed that perhaps his game is ready to round into shape after off-season neck surgery.
"I'm not 100 percent; I'm like 85 percent," Cejka said. "It takes time. But I'm really happy in the way my body feels right now. Now it's a good time to start really practicing hard and play a lot of tournaments."
Cejka pinched a nerve in his back at the 2008 British Open at Royal Birkdale and lost all the strength in his left side. He had surgery in September to correct the problem, with doctors "doing a fusion" on his neck. He played little until January and has had limited success this season.
"My goal is to stay healthy," Cejka said. "Hopefully everything stays well, and I get healthy and can practice hard."
Everything worked for Cejka on Thursday. He hit 12 of 14 fairways. He hit 13 of the small greens in regulation and was on the fringe at most others. He needed only 11 putts on the front nine and just 24 to complete his round.
His best escape came at No. 13 after putting his drive on the left of the fairway and under the branches of an oak tree. He punched it low, the only shot he had, and the ball checked nicely on the green and led to a birdie.
"It was kind of good, but also a lucky shot, too, where it checks exactly where you need to, and it was pin high," Cejka said.
Cejka, of German nationality but who lives in Nevada, has 11 international wins but continues to seek his first victory on the PGA TOUR. He's had two runner-up finishes, the most recent in 2004. He's had four top 10s in each of the last two seasons.
Cejka hasn't played at Harbour Town the last two years; he was disqualified here in 2005 for playing a non-conforming ball. Although his best finish at the Verizon Heritage was a tie for 25th in 2004, he expressed an affinity for the course, despite the ever-breezy conditions.
"I'm used to it," he said. "I don't like it. I don't think anybody really likes it. It's challenging; it's tricky. But this is the way it is, and we all have to deal with it."
The wind he can handle, but what about the lead? Cejka has taken the first-round lead on two previous occasions, the 2006 FBR Open and 2006 Valero Texas Open, but failed to finish higher than 50th in either instance.
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