RUSSELL KNOX'S 73 LEAVES HIM FIGHTING TO BEAT THE CUT

• BEN MARTIN SETS ZURICH CLASSIC 
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• PACE WITH A RECORD 62
  
• Ben Martin: Jinx on first-round leaders on US PGA Tour. Picture by courtesy of Getty Images(c)/Chris Graythen)

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FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE

• By D.J. Piehowski, PGATOUR.COM

Avondale, Louisiana -- Ben Martin’s first course record was earned in pretty stress-free conditions: It was a non-competitive 62 at his home course, Greenwood Country Club, South Carolina. He earned his second Thursday at windy TPC Louisiana and was rewarded with the first-round lead at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
“I think back, and that round and this round were two of the best rounds I’ve ever played,” said Martin, whose 62 bettered the course record by two shots.
“It was everything. The shots were going where I was looking and the putts were going in just like I was seeing them.”
It’s a strange run of golf that Martin is on. In his last nine starts, he’s made only two cuts, but finished third both times (at the Puerto Rico Open  and last week’s RBC Heritage). Thursday’s 62 was the best round of Martin’s US PGA Tour career by three shots.
After a number of low scores were posted in the morning wave, TPC Louisiana’s winds kicked up in the afternoon. It was a familiar feel for Martin, who played his way into in the final group Saturday at windy Harbour Town.
“I hate the cliché, ‘One shot at a time,’ but when it gets windy like that, that’s really what you have to focus on,” he said. “We played in the wind every day last week, so I was probably a little bit used to it.”
The bad news for Martin is that only four of 22 first-round leaders have gone on to victory this year on the US Tour. But the good news is that he fits another trend: The history of first-time winners at the Zurich Classic. Six of the past nine winners of the event have been first-time US PGA Tour winners.
“I don’t know what causes that,” he said. “I know that for myself, I like most Pete Dye courses. We played one last week and I was successful there. I guess whatever he does kind of fits my eye.”

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LEARNING CURVE
Michael Thompson started his college career at nearby Tulane, but he wouldn’t call himself a TPC Louisiana expert.
Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, just before Thompson and the Green Wave were getting ready to start practising. The team was relocated to Dallas and Thompson transferred to Alabama shortly after.
“I haven’t played here much, but I’m starting to get more comfortable playing this course,” he said after an opening 66 that left him in a tie for fifth. 
“At first, I thought it was a really long, big course and I felt like I had to overpower everything, but I’m starting to play more within myself and when I do that, I have rounds like today.”
As far as his golf game goes, Thompson said the storm and his ensuing transfer was a blessing in disguise.
“I loved New Orleans, being in the city and always having a lot to do,” he said. “But I’ve always told everybody that if I had stayed at Tulane, I probably wouldn’t have developed into the golfer that I am today as quickly. Transferring to Alabama was great for me.”
Colin Farquharson writes: Padraig Harrington and Martin Laird both returned two-under-par 70s to be T36. Paul Casey and Justin Rose had 71s for T54.
Laird birdied the eighth, 13th and 14th and dropped only one shot, at the fifth.
Russell Knox did not have a good day. He will be fighting to beat the cut in the second round after an opening score of one-over 73 which leaves him in T102 position after 18 holes.
The now married man from Inverness birdied the long second, the sixth, the long seventh .. and that was the end of his sub-par figures. He bogeyed the short third, the eighth, the short ninth and the 15th in halves of 36-37.
FIRST-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 72 players from USA unless stated
62 Ben Martin
64 Andrew Svoboda.
65 Seung Yul Noh (S Korea), Peter Hanson (Sweden).
66 Erik Compton, Michael Thompson, Chad Collins
67 Jeff Overton, Stuart Appleby (Australia), Robert Streb.
SELECTED SCORES
68 David Duval
70 Padraig Harrington (Ireland), Martin Laird (Scotland) (T36)
71 Paul Casey (England), Justin Rose (England) (T54)
72 Ernie Els (S Africa), Brian Davis (England) (T83)
73 Russell Knox (Scotland) (T102)
76 Greg Owen (England) (T143) 
 
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