The fog finally lifted over Whistling Straits and revealed a stunning vista.
Tiger Woods’ name was atop the leaderboard.
Just not for long.
At the end of opening day in the PGA Championship, he wasn’t near the names of Bubba Watson and Italy’s Francesco Molinari, who each opened with a four-under 68; or Ernie Els, Matt Kuchar and Nick Watney, who also were at four-under when it became too dark for them to finish the first round.
Woods, who made three birdies inside 12 feet on the opening four holes, had to birdie his final hole just to break par, a one-under 71.
That used to be considered an ordinary start in a major. Considering his recent woes, this was nearly cause for celebration.
He joined 21 others among the 78 early starters who completed the first round, which was delayed by more than three hours because of fog. Still to be determined is whether he can back that up. It was the first time in eight rounds that Woods had broken par.
MARSH
And there were enough errant shots, including one that went so far left it found a marsh he didn’t know was there, that Woods had to make an eight-foot birdie on the final hole to avoid wasting a day in which he appeared to make progress.
“I’ve played too good not to shoot under par,” Woods said. “It would’ve been very disappointing and frustrating to end up at even par as well as I played today. To make that putt — to shoot under par — just feels like that’s what I should have shot the way I played today. And that’s a good feeling.”
Woods is coming off the worst tournament of his career, an 18-over 298 at Firestone to beat only one player in the field.
The fog delay meant none of the late starters could finish the opening round.
Els played bogey-free through 14 holes and was at four-under, making a seven-foot par save on the 14th shortly before the horn sounded. Also at four-under were Matt Kuchar and Nick Watney, courtesy of eagles — Kuchar on the 13th early in his round by holing from the fairway, Watney on the par-five 11th, his last hole of the day.
Phil Mickelson ended a wild day at one-under. He knocked it close for a couple of birdies, and spent the rest of the time in the bunkers and rough as he scrambled to save par. He finished on a strong note with back-to-back birdies, the last one a wedge that stopped two feet away on the 11th.
With so much rain on Wednesday and in the week before the PGA, the course that looks like a links played more like a PGA Tour course with soft conditions. It was suited perfectly for Watson, one of the biggest hitters in golf.
POWER
Of all his birdies, none showed off his power quite like 587-yard fifth hole, the first one on the back nine with the wind at this back. Ignoring the bunkers and water to the right, Watson hammered his drive so far — 445 yards by his calculations — that he had only a lob wedge for his second shot and an easy two-putt birdie.
“It makes it a little easier, I guess, when you do that,” Watson said of his long game.
Everything feels easier these days for Watson, who has been through some tough times at home. His father is battling cancer, and he had a major scare over the Christmas holidays when told that his wife had a tumor. It turned out to be an enlarged pituitary gland.
Molinari missed only four fairways and two greens, dropping only one shot along the way and worked his way into a share of the early lead with a birdie on the par-three seventh, among the scariest of the par-threes that hug the shoreline.
Coming off two majors won by players who had never done it before, Molinari has reason to believe he could be next.
“Tiger is going to get back to his standards and Phil is going to win more majors and so you just need to play really well and try to grab the occasion when you have it,” he said.
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