Round 1: Buick Open

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Jul. 30, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM staff

The first groups are ready to tee off at the Buick Open, and here's who we are following:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
8:12 a.m. ET, Hole No. 10		David Duval, Lee Janzen, John Merrick Janzen was T5 last week and has three top-25s in the last two months. Duval hasn't made a cut since his U.S. Open T2.
12:45 p.m. ET, Hole No. 10		Nathan Green, K.J. Choi, Brandt Snedeker Green is looking to build off his first victory. Snedeker was T5 in Canada. Choi needs to kickstart a lackluster year.
12:54 p.m. ET, Hole No. 10		Tiger Woods, Jonathan Byrd, Todd Hamilton Woods can equal his win total from 2008 by winning here. His playing partners have five career wins combined.

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR on-site correspondent Brett Wright previews Thursday's round:

Thursday's forecast

Mostly Sunny
Temp: 79 high/61 low
Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. Winds from the southwest at 5 to 10 mph.

The Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club is in great shape as always, and the electricity of a "Tiger Tournament" always adds to the excitement. Woods is attempting to wash the bad state of his game at the British Open out of his mind in a friendly environment. He played his first Buick Open round here in 1997, and he shot even-par 72. Woods has played 31 additional tournament rounds here since and has broken par each time. He owns a part of the competitive course record of 61 shared with Billy Mayfair, and he has won the championship two times -- 2002 and 2006.

The golf course is known for its generous fairways and perfect greens. These factors produce great scoring. There are plenty of birdies and even eagles to be taken in the first round. The fairways are fairly dry, so the ball will roll out just right for the players, and the greens are so smooth and slick that well-struck putts will be rewarded with 6 inch drops. The rain forecast is only 20 percent this week, which is a reason to celebrate if you are a PGA TOUR player this year, so conditions should be great for scoring all week.

There is one particular stretch of holes early in the back nine known as the "Eagles Nest" which comprises holes 12 through 14. Usually when a course has a stretch of holes that is nicknamed; it means the holes are brutally tough such as PGA National's "Bear Trap", or "Amen Corner" at Augusta National. Here at Warwick Hills, the name means "start your engines!" These holes are geared for quickly climbing the leaderboard. The 12th and 14th are reachable par 4s at distances of 338 and 320 yards respectively. The 13th is a shortish par 5 that most of the field can reach in two shots if they avoid the big tree to the right off the tee, that blocks approach shots from that side. Look for many players to go birdie-birdie-birdie through the "Eagles Nest," and for some to do even better.

I like Nathan Green this week after his first win at the RBC Canadian Open on Monday. I spoke with him Wednesday on the putting green, and he seems more relaxed than ever. I know I usually predict a letdown for a player after a big win, but I think Green will continue his solid play. Ultimately, we all have to watch for Tiger Woods to establish the early momentum and dare the rest of the world to keep up with him. Woods is never off for long, so look for the game's top-ranked player to score accordingly in Round 1 here at the Buick Open.

Stat of the day

Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Jim Furyk are the leading Buick Open money winners, each with over $2 million earned at Warwick Hills.

The Film Room

	Opening Shot: July 29, 2009 The ridiculous number of holes-in-hole last weekend at the RBC Canadian Open and Tiger's decision to play three consecutive tournaments are among the topics of discussion. Watch it
	Woods discusses his fondness for the Buick Open Tiger Woods talks about the intimate atmosphere at Warwick Hills and the need to shoot a low score to be in contention at the 2009 Buick Open. Watch it
	Furyk reveals his keys to playing well at Warwick Hills 2003 Buick Open Champion Jim Furyk discusses the need to drive it straight and execute well with the short irons to contend at the 2009 Buick Open. Watch it