Dean Wilson has seen enough of the big hitters on the PGA Tour to realize there are tournaments that put him at a disadvantage. The Nissan Open in Los Angeles is not one of them.
Wilson navigated his way around Riviera Country Club without a bogey Thursday for a 7-under-par 64, putting him atop the leaderboard with Justin Rose on a course that requires more than sheer length.
Wilson played for position, kept bogeys off his card and relied on his wedge to take advantage of the par 5s. Rose missed only three greens, putting from the fringe on two of those holes.
“You tend to hit your whole bag, from 3-iron to wedge,” Rose said. “I don’t think it suits one player or another.”
They were two shots clear of a group that included Fred Couples, who was so sick upon returning from Australia that he stayed in bed Monday and Tuesday, skipped the pro-am Wednesday and felt his hands shaking over his first putt. He wound up with a 66, then went back to bed.
Also feeling ill was Tiger Woods, although it had nothing to do with being allergic to Riviera. Woods, 2-0 for the year but 0-10 at his hometown tournament, recovered from an early double bogey by making four birdies in a five-hole stretch and finished with a 69.
Cherry Hills Village resident David Duval got off to his best start this year, a 3-under 68 that featured a nifty up-and-down on the ninth hole. He twice had to rally to make the cut at the Sony Open and Bob Hope Classic, and goes into the second round looking at the leaders instead of the cut line.
“I’ve been playing catch-up, and this time I started a little better,” Duval said.
LPGA Tour: Grace Park shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 to take the clubhouse lead in the suspended first round of the season-opening SBS Open in Kahuku, Hawaii.
Becky Iverson was 6-under through 15 holes when play was halted because of darkness. A heavy morning rain delayed the start by 50 minutes.
The group at 70 included 17-year-old Morgan Pressel who made her highly anticipated rookie debut.
