Wind wreaking havoc at Doral; tee times moved up for Friday
MIAMI – Geometry is telling the story in the gusty first round of the CA Championship at Doral on Thursday, as in circles and squares.
Downwind holes like the 529-yard, par-5 first, the easiest hole on the PGA tour in 2009, are birdie (circle) holes, if not better. Into-the-wind holes, like the 467-yard 18th, the second toughest on Tour in 2009, are squares (bogey), or double-squares (doubles).
The Blue Monster is playing like the Bipolar Monster.
John Senden's front nine said it all: four circles in his first five holes, two squares in his next three, which momentarily left him a shot behind Geoff Ogilvy—four circles, one square in his first six holes. But then Ogilvy, the winner here in 2008, double-squared the downwind, par-4 seventh hole and tumbled off the leaderboard.
Tim Clark hit a perfect drive onto the sliver of fairway right of the large water hazard that runs the length of the mean 18th hole, but still had to lay up with an iron for his second shot. He hit an indifferent wedge well right of the hole and made bogey.
Playing partner Scott Verplank, already 4-over for his first eight holes, drove it in the drink on 18 and made double bogey. A name, possibly Simon Dyson's, had been blown halfway off the scoreboard near the green before it was taken down, perhaps so it wouldn't peel off completely and fly into the flight path of an incoming 767.
Behind Clark and Verplank, David Toms, another medium-length hitter, was cruising along at 2-under when he came to 18, where he dropped a shot with a bogey 5.
Then again, in this much wind it was helpful to think of 18 as a par 5, and one as a par 4. A Golf Channel graphic showed the difference between teeing off with the wind on the opening hole and against the wind on the finisher was 66 yards.
All that wind had players guessing. Martin Kaymer hit into greenside bunkers on three of his first four holes. Lee Westwood aimed well right with his short approach shot on the 402-yard 11th hole, thinking the wind would blow it back to the pin. It didn't.
"That went straight, didn't it?" he said to his caddie, sounding somewhat surprised. He seemed in danger of shooting himself out of the tournament after four straight bogeys from 15-18, but eagled the cupcake first hole to get back to 2-over par through 10.
In anticipation of an approaching storm, tournament officials moved up the tee times Friday, from 11:25 a.m.—1:10 p.m. to 8—9:55 a.m.
