Tulsa, Okla. – Graeme Storm really hadn’t planned on playing golf eight weeks in a row, or hopping across the pond to play in an elite-field event or his first PGA Championship.
And chances are, he certainly didn’t expect to be leading the tournament after the first day, but there the Englishman was Thursday following his sterling 5-under-par 65 at Southern Hills Country Club.
“I thought, well, just enjoy the moment and play golf. Enjoy it – that’s what we’re here for,” Storm said.
Five years ago, things were going so poorly for Storm and his game that he had to take a job in a cake factory. Even then it wasn’t like he got to dip his fingers in the mixing bowls or lick the frosting off of any spatulas. Instead he cleaned trays outside.
His circumstances have changed since then. Earlier this season, the 29-year-old won the French Open on the European Tour, which Storm said, “opened so many doors for me.”
One of them was a spot in last week’s World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational, which came along not much after he received an exemption into the field this week.
This event marked his second month of nonstop golf, but Storm wasn’t about to complain.
“I mean, it’s – I am quite sort of tired,” he said. “But obviously, this is quite a buzz.”
Lurking about
Early in the day, the leaderboard boasted both Sergio Garcia and defending champion Tiger Woods. Both ended up disappointed, Garcia at even-par 70 and Woods at 71. Garcia, who was at 3-under after four holes, bogeyed his final two.
Woods was also at 3-under, this after eight holes. Even with a shaky back nine, the world’s top-ranked player said he was in good position.
“I felt like I hit the ball better than my score indicates, which is good,” he said. “That’s a good sign heading into the next three days; I just need to clean up my round a little bit.”
The pairing of Woods along with Rich Beem (2002) and Bob Tway (1986) was one of three that featured previous winners of the tournament. Another included Jeff Sluman (1988), David Toms (2001) and Phil Mickelson (2005); the third matched John Daly (1991), Steve Elkington (1995) and Shaun Micheel (2003).
Another noteworthy pairing included the winners of the first three majors of the season: Zach Johnson (Masters), Angel Cabrera (U.S. Open) and Padraig Harrington (British Open).
Harrington fared the best of that group, finishing at 69. Johnson began with a bogey and was 4-over after four holes. He rallied twice to get to 2-over, but faltered again late to finish at 74.
Traveling man
One of the day’s most impressive performances was turned in by Mike Small. The University of Illinois golf coach, one of just 20 club professionals to qualify for the tournament, was at 3-under after six holes before finishing with a 73. This happened less than 24 hours after winning the Illinois Open, held just outside Chicago.
Small was the two-time defending champion of that event, and a shot at the $19,000 first-place check, more than he would make if he missed the cut here, probably didn’t hurt either. So he played, the tournament ending at about 7 p.m. Small then hopped a flight here, where the PGA, in its benevolence, gave him a 2:45 p.m. tee time, the last of the day.
Unlike Daly, who played his opening round without the benefit of actually seeing the course, Small had practiced at Southern Hills earlier this month.
A pair of Colorado pros in the field, Matt Call and Micah Rudosky, struggled. Call, a self-employed pro from Boulder and the 2006 Colorado Golf Association player of the year, shot an 81, two strokes better than Rudosky, the head pro at Conquistador Golf Course in Cortez.
