Laird gets new season off to a flier in Hawaii
FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By TRENT BAKER
Scotland's Martin Laird got his US PGA Tour season off to a great start in Hawaii last night as he took a share of the early clubhouse lead at the SBS Championship.
Laird was the first to tee off at the Kapalua Resort's Plantation Course in a 28-player season-opening field restricted to last year's US Tour event winners.
The Glaswegian, who landed his maiden professional victory at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas last October, sank seven birdies and one bogey on the par-73, 7,411yd course for a six-under-par 67.
Laird, who turned 28 ten days ago, had carded his first bogey of the year before his first birdie of 2010 but recovered from his setback at the par-four fifth to hit three birdies and reach the turn in two-under 34.
There was more to come and Laird holed four successive birdies on the back nine between 13 and 16, to take the outright lead at six under. The Scot missed another birdie chance at the 17th on his way to a 67 and was quickly joined in the clubhouse on six under by Australian Nathan Green and Americans Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson and Nick Watney.
By the end of play, US Open champion Lucas Glover had taken the lead with a 66.
England's Paul Casey had a 70.
The 2010 US PGA Tour began under cloudy skies when Laird found the middle of the fairway with the first tee shot of the new season. His drive rolled 368 yards down the hill at Kapalua Resort's picturesque par-four first before he reached the green in two and two-putted for a regulation par.
For many of the players, organisers and fans in attendance, there would have been a collective sigh of relief that US PGA Tour normality had been resumed after several weeks in which the focus was on Tiger Woods' troubled private life.
Although world No 1 Woods has not played at Kapalua since 2005, his well-documented fall from grace had dominated the tournament's build-up. The best player of his generation, Woods announced last month he was taking an indefinite break from golf in the wake of embarrassing revelations about his personal life.
"Anybody who hasn't talked about the Tiger thing in the last two months was on the moon," said USPGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem.
END OF PLAY FIRST-ROUND SCORES
Par 73
66 Lucas Glover
67 Dustin Johnson, Nick Watney, Nathan Green (Aus), Martin Laird (Sco), Matt Kuchar
68 John Rollins, Sean O'Hair, Angel Cabrera (Arg), Stewart Cink
69 Jerry Kelly, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus), Ryan Moore
70 Kenny Perry, Rory Sabbatini (Rsa), Retief Goosen (Rsa), Paul Casey (Eng), Y.E. Yang (Kor)
71 Pat Perez, Stephen Ames (Can)
72 Zach Johnson, Brian Gay, Bo Van Pelt
73 Steve Stricker, Michael Bradley, Troy Matteson
74 Mark Wilson
75 Heath Slocum
FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By TRENT BAKER
Scotland's Martin Laird got his US PGA Tour season off to a great start in Hawaii last night as he took a share of the early clubhouse lead at the SBS Championship.
Laird was the first to tee off at the Kapalua Resort's Plantation Course in a 28-player season-opening field restricted to last year's US Tour event winners.
The Glaswegian, who landed his maiden professional victory at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas last October, sank seven birdies and one bogey on the par-73, 7,411yd course for a six-under-par 67.
Laird, who turned 28 ten days ago, had carded his first bogey of the year before his first birdie of 2010 but recovered from his setback at the par-four fifth to hit three birdies and reach the turn in two-under 34.
There was more to come and Laird holed four successive birdies on the back nine between 13 and 16, to take the outright lead at six under. The Scot missed another birdie chance at the 17th on his way to a 67 and was quickly joined in the clubhouse on six under by Australian Nathan Green and Americans Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson and Nick Watney.
By the end of play, US Open champion Lucas Glover had taken the lead with a 66.
England's Paul Casey had a 70.
The 2010 US PGA Tour began under cloudy skies when Laird found the middle of the fairway with the first tee shot of the new season. His drive rolled 368 yards down the hill at Kapalua Resort's picturesque par-four first before he reached the green in two and two-putted for a regulation par.
For many of the players, organisers and fans in attendance, there would have been a collective sigh of relief that US PGA Tour normality had been resumed after several weeks in which the focus was on Tiger Woods' troubled private life.
Although world No 1 Woods has not played at Kapalua since 2005, his well-documented fall from grace had dominated the tournament's build-up. The best player of his generation, Woods announced last month he was taking an indefinite break from golf in the wake of embarrassing revelations about his personal life.
"Anybody who hasn't talked about the Tiger thing in the last two months was on the moon," said USPGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem.
END OF PLAY FIRST-ROUND SCORES
Par 73
66 Lucas Glover
67 Dustin Johnson, Nick Watney, Nathan Green (Aus), Martin Laird (Sco), Matt Kuchar
68 John Rollins, Sean O'Hair, Angel Cabrera (Arg), Stewart Cink
69 Jerry Kelly, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus), Ryan Moore
70 Kenny Perry, Rory Sabbatini (Rsa), Retief Goosen (Rsa), Paul Casey (Eng), Y.E. Yang (Kor)
71 Pat Perez, Stephen Ames (Can)
72 Zach Johnson, Brian Gay, Bo Van Pelt
73 Steve Stricker, Michael Bradley, Troy Matteson
74 Mark Wilson
75 Heath Slocum
Labels: US PGA TOUR, US PRO TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Friday, January 08, 2010
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