BESTS
Lefty’s putter lets him down
Bogey.
Phil Mickelson hits a hybrid 245 yards on his third shot to the 504-yard, par-4 12th hole. He misses the par putt and makes a 5.
Birdie.
Ryuji Imada of Japan just missed an ace on the 221-yard, par-3 11th. He settled for a kick-in birdie.
Par.
Take your pick. After getting into trouble on the 12th, 13th and 15th holes, Tiger Woods sank putts of at least 12 feet each to save pars.
WORSTS
A Rose-y start, then thorns aplenty
Slide.
England’s Justin Rose, a perennial opening-round flash, began his day with a birdie on the 10th hole. He then proceeded to go 6 over par on his next eight holes and finished with a 79.
Breakthrough.
When Sergio Garcia won the Players this spring, it was supposed to seal his breakthrough as a major champion. Not quite: The Spaniard shot a 5-over-76 in his opening round.
Sacked.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo shot an 84 under Open conditions at Torrey Pines last weekend in a made-for-television match. That score was better than three players — Brian Bergstol, Mike Gilmore and Michael Quagliano — could muster Thursday. Each of the qualifiers shot an 86.
Hole of the day
539-yard, par-5 13th.
From the tips, the 13th hole could extend as far as 614 yards, but Thursday it played at a more manageable 539-yard par 5. As a result, it was one of the easiest holes of the day. It averaged 4.85 strokes, with an eagle and 45 birdies.
Anthony Cotton, The Denver Post
