Brandt Snedeker's storming 61 stole the thunder from Tiger Woods' 2007 season debut on Thursday in the first-round of the US$5.2 million Buick Invitational.
Snedeker started on the 10th tee of the 6,874-yard, par-72 North Course at Torrey Pines, the easier of the two layouts used in the event, and was nine-under through nine holes with seven birdies and an eagle.
"The whole front nine to me is a blur," admitted Snedeker, who won two tournaments on the Nationwide Tour last year despite missing five events with a broken collarbone.
PHOTO: AP
"When I made the turn I was nine-under through nine, I tried to tee the ball up on No. 1 and the ball fell out of my hand I was shaking so bad," he said.
After nabbing one more birdie at No. 1 to get to 10-under, Snedeker cooled off, as did any vision of a 59.
"Being 10-under, you've got to make three birdies coming in," said Snedeker, who did put an exclamation point on his round with a birdie at the par-five ninth to match the course record.
He also grabbed some of the spotlight from two-time defending champion Woods.
"To see the crowd kind of work their way back to me from Tiger was kind of nice," he said. "Seeing them rooting me on the last nine holes, although I couldn't bring it in the way they wanted me to, it was fun."
Snedeker had a two-shot lead over South Korea's Charlie Wi, who posted his 63 on the North Course, while Australian John Senden, playing in the same group with Woods on the North, carded a 64 to share third place with Jeff Quinney of the US.
Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal, who won the tournament in 2002 and fell to Woods in a playoff last year, headed a group sharing fifth on 65, while Woods posted a 66.
Senden, one of six Australians to win on the US tour last year, jump-started his round on the North course with an eagle at No. 14.
Woods, making his first appearance of this year and seeking a seventh victory in as many US tour starts, rallied from a rocky beginning that included bogeys at two of his first three holes.
"It took me probably three or four holes before I got back into the flow of competition, back in the rhythm of the round," he said. "I was already two-over-par, which is not a good sign."
However, he got on track with three birdies in a row from 14, and capped each half of the course with an eagle. At 18, his five-iron second shot hit the pin, while his five-iron at his No. 9 finishing hole left him about a seven-foot putt.
"I thought I did really well today," said Woods, who in fact matched his best opening round in this event, which he has won a total of four times. "I drove it really consistent all day, a couple of loose iron shots here and there, but once I got my speed on the greens I was able to make some putts."
Snedeker was under no illusions as to what was waiting for him yesterday, when he tackled the tougher South Course, which will host next year's US Open.
Colombian Camilo Villegas posted a 67 on the South Course, the best score of the day there. No one playing the South Course on Thursday escaped without a bogey.
Masters Champion Phil Mickelson carded a 74 on the South, and Vijay Singh settled for a 75.
"It was a struggle for me today," said Mickelson, adding that the benign conditions made the South Course as vulnerable as it was ever likely to be.
"The course was there to be had, there were a lot of hard holes, but there were also a lot of birdie holes. With the weather being perfect, you expect to go low. I just didn't," he said,
Typically, Woods was looking forward to the more difficult challenge of the South course.
"You can pick up more ground on the other golf course if you shoot a good, solid round," he said.
"That's the fun part about the South Course, that if you shoot a good quality round, you'll move your way right up the board," Woods said.
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