Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. – In golf, as is the case with many things in life, there’s something to be said for the company one keeps.
So it was that after a pleasant evening together Wednesday night, Davis Love III and Jim Furyk met up again early Thursday morning for a nice, surprisingly easy stroll around the TPC Sawgrass.
Furyk had never scored in the 60s in 10 previous opening rounds at The Players Championship; his best score here was a 67, 10 years ago. When he opened Thursday’s round with seven straight pars, going low didn’t seem possible. But Furyk closed out his front nine by making putts from 21 and 23 feet for birdies, then added another five on the back nine to close with a 7-under 65.
That figure was matched by playing partner Love, leading to postround questions of what was on the menu Wednesday when Furyk had Love, Justin Leonard, Phil Mickelson and their families over for dinner.
“I guess it was beef tenderloin,” Love said. “The kids were having macaroni and chicken fingers – that was looking pretty good.”
Furyk admitted to charring the adults’ fare, but that was only a precursor to his burning up the course. Mickelson and Leonard, the other hearty diners, finished at 2-under 70 and 3-over 75, respectively.
“Maybe they didn’t eat enough,” Love said.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods, who left Florida on Tuesday for California and a vigil with his father, Earl, began his tournament like a man who had flown back and forth across the country in a day with a whole lot other than golf on his mind. The world’s top-ranked player was 2-over after 10 holes but rallied to finish at even-par 72.
“He’s a very stubborn man, which is good. He’s fighting as hard as he can,” Woods said of his father.
Earl Woods was diagnosed with prostate cancer eight years ago. While he has been unable to attend many of his son’s tournaments over the last year or so, the former Green Beret has maintained a measure of his gruffness.
“When I walked in, he said, ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ It was nice to hear that,” Tiger Woods said.
Playing in the same pairing with Woods was Darren Clarke, which Woods called “a blessing.” Not only are the men good friends, but Clarke’s wife, Heather, has been fighting a battle with breast cancer the past five years.
“We were talking about it all day,” Woods said. “It puts things in perspective real quick.”
Anthony Cotton can be reached at 303-820-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com.
