BOCA RATON, Fla. — It was a “hold on” kind of day for Friday’s first round of the windy TimberTech Championship at Broken Sound Club.
As in hold on to your hat. Try to hold on to a good score. And, hopefully, hold on to a spot in the top 36 of the Charles Schwab Cup standings.
Fittingly, considering the difficult situations, former major champions Padraig Harrington and David Toms were among the four players tied for the lead after 4-under 67s. They shared the top spot with Shane Bertsch and K.J. Choi.
“I just kept my head down there in the wind,” said Harrington, who will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame next year. “There were a lot of real tough shots. At times, I felt like I was playing well, but other times you had to do the best you could to somehow make a par on the hole.”
In addition to the wind, the players were also adjusting to the renovations made by Hall of Fame architect Rees Jones last year to the Old Course. The par was dropped from 72 to 71 while the degree of difficulty was increased.
“I knew the setup guys were trying to figure out where to put the tees and pins, and as players, we’re trying to figure it out, too,” Toms said. “I made my only bogey on the 11th hole when they had a back-left pin. I tried to get cute and hit it back there and made bogey instead of just playing to the right and making par. I paid the price.”
“I knew the setup guys were trying to figure out where to put the tees and pins, and as players, we’re trying to figure it out, too,” Toms said. “I made my only bogey on the 11th hole when they had a back-left pin. I tried to get cute and hit it back there and made bogey instead of just playing to the right and making par. I paid the price.”
“It was a great round, but a little rocky finish there,” Bertsch said. “I kind of lost my focus at the end. Really disappointing to miss that 2-footer on the last hole with some side wind, but I played incredible.”
Choi had the day’s wildest round, making eight birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey for his 67. Choi said back issues led to a couple of errant swings. So did Mother Nature.
“I don’t know why, but I felt very comfortable today with a low, cut shot,” Choi said. “The conditions were very difficult. There are some tough shots out there with the narrow fairways. And the greens are getting firmer every day. They were soft earlier in the week. Now they are taking a hard bounce.”
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