Pros getting major test at Bay Hill
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – The scores at the Bay Hill Invitational looked like they belonged at a major championship. So did some of the grumbling. The pins were too tough. The greens were like trampolines, bouncing even wedge shots high into the air and far from the hole.
No wonder the six guys tied for the lead Thursday were at a meager 3-under 69, the highest 18-hole score to lead since Tiger Woods was at 3 under in last year’s U.S. Open at Bethpage Black.
That’s just the way tournament host Arnold Palmer wanted it.
“They thought it was too hard? Aaahhh, that’s too bad,” Palmer said, trying to contain the tears. “What the hell? It was the same for everybody. What do they do when they play the National Open? Or the TPC? Or the Masters?
“I had the worst score on the board, and I thought the golf course was fair.”
Palmer had an 87, his worst score at Bay Hill, but he wasn’t bringing up the rear. Club pro Charlie Meade had an 89.
Woods shot 70, a score that that would have left him in the middle of the pack at most PGA Tour events. This time, it kept him in contention as he bids for his fourth consecutive title at Bay Hill.
He wasn’t among those overly concerned by the swirling wind, stifling heat and greens that sounded like they had a layer of concrete beneath them.
“If we get no rain, it should be awesome by the weekend,” he said. “If these greens get baked out, if this wind stays up, it could be one of the tougher golf courses we’ll face, except for the majors.”
The leaders were Stewart Cink, Jeff Maggert, Jonathan Kaye, J.L. Lewis and Aaron Baddeley and Trevor Immelman, a 23-year-old South African who was the only afternoon starter to break 70.
“This golf course doesn’t let up, which is good,” Baddeley said. “You’re going to find out who’s playing the best this week.”
Ernie Els might have been closer to the lead if not for one hole. He three-putted from 4 feet on the par-3 14th and took triple bogey, giving him a 74. Then again, his approach to the 18th caromed off the rocks and onto dry land, and Els made a 20-footer for par.
Palmer, the 73-year-old tournament host is playing what likely will be his final PGA Tour event. Sure, the 87 was his worst at Bay Hill, but he did manage to make pars on Nos. 2 and 17, the par 3s that played as the toughest two holes on Thursday.
“For some reason, I look forward to tomorrow,” Palmer said, sipping a tall can of beer as he relaxed in a golf cart. “I wasn’t miserable out there.”
Jack Nicklaus seemed like he was.
The Golden Bear, trying to decide whether he wants to play in the Masters, blasted out of a bunker, across the green and into the hazard on the 18th. He took triple bogey, finished with an 82 and left the course without talking to reporters.
“Give the golf course its due,” Palmer said. “Even par is a good round. I like to have a competitive golf course.”
The scores certainly reflected that.
Only 19 players managed to break par, a stark contrast to last week at the Honda Classic, where the cut tied a PGA Tour record at 6 under and the winner score was 24 under.
At Bay Hill, nine players shot 80 or worse, and Rory Sabbatini matched Palmer’s 87. David Duval had to finish with two tough pars for a 79, narrowly avoiding his second consecutive round in the 80s.
Michael Campbell took three tee shots to get the ball in play on his opening hole, took a 10 and withdrew two holes later with a shoulder injury. Bob May hit three balls in the water on No. 6 and made an 11.
Els was in the middle of the fairway on No. 11 with a wedge in his hands, and hit an approach that landed next to the hole. The ball hopped high and finally stopped 30 feet away, as Els slumped his shoulders in disbelief.
That was a common sight at Bay Hill.
Woods biggest mistake of the round led to a birdie. He blistered a 2-iron down the fairway on No. 18 and had 156 yards over the water and to the flag. The ball narrowly cleared the hazard and stopped 10 feet behind the hole.
“I didn’t mean to land it there,” Woods said sheepishly. “I tried to hit it flag-high and get to the back of the green.”
He also birdied the par-5 16th with a second shot that covered the flag and stopped 40 feet away. That led Woods to inquire, “Did the ball land short of the hole?”
He didn’t bother fixing his pitch mark because he couldn’t find one, which seemed to be the case throughout his round.
“I found probably seven or eight,” Woods said. “Some of them weren’t mine.”
The 69 matched the highest opening-round score by a leader in the 25-year history of the Bay Hill Invitational. The other time was in 1993.
Cink and Kaye were in the first group and had the easiest conditions, although that didn’t last long. The wind gusted and swirled, and the greens only got harder.
“Anything under 70 today is going to be an excellent, and par or better is very sensible,” Cink said after he finished.
Turns out that anything under 70 was good enough for the lead.
Divots: Vijay Singh ended the longest layoff of his career. The big Fijian said he suffered a stress fracture in his left ribs caused by a sponge ball that he keeps in his armpit while practicing. The ball slipped too low without Singh realizing it. “I’m not expecting much this week,” Singh said. He hit the ball well, but struggled on the greens and shot 75. … The last time six players were tied for the 18-hole lead was at Bay Hill last year.