Mark O’Meara is doing the same thing he did at the other two majors he won this year: lurking.
O’Meara didn’t have the lead until the 72nd hole of the Masters, and the first time he moved to the top in his victorious British Open was on the back nine of Sunday. So all things considered, O’Meara felt good after an opening-round of 69, leaving him three shots behind Tiger Woods at the PGA Championship.
“I kept myself in the ballgame,” O’Meara said. “I didn’t shoot myself out of the tournament. But there’s so much golf to be played.”
O’Meara insisted he isn’t feeling any pressure in trying to join Ben Hogan as the only other player to win three majors in a season.
“I think it’s exciting,” O’Meara said. “I have nothing to lose. To come out and win two majors is great. I hope I can use the experience I gained there and carry it over to this championship.”
Starting over: Stuart Appleby shot a 77, but as he said earlier in the week, his score didn’t matter. Appleby wanted to get his life going again, playing in his first tournament since his wife, Renay, died as a result of a July car accident.
Appleby received a standing ovation when he came up the 18th green. Jeff Sluman of Burr Ridge was among a group of players who were there to give Appleby support when he went off on the first tee.
Scoring: For those who enjoy high scores on the golf course, the PGA Championship might not be for you. This won’t be a repeat of the U.S. Open where at times bogey was a good score.
If the first round is any indication, there will be some scoring at Sahalee Country Club this week. The weather forecast is perfect, meaning elements won’t be a factor.
“I think the winning score will be under par, just because it is perfect out there,” said Woods, who checked in with a 66. “The greens are perfect. The fairways are running. If a guy’s hitting the ball well, he’s obviously going to have to have a chance for birdie.”
Woods said the players prefer Sahalee over the Olympic Club in San Francisco, site of the U.S. Open, which Lee Janzen won at even-par.
“This is a fair course,” Woods said. “You hit the ball straight off the tee, you’re not going to get a bad bounce and end up in the rough like I did at the U.S. Open. Here, you get rewarded for good shots and that’s all you can expect.”
Sore spot: Tom Lehman won’t be trying any handstands anytime soon. Lehman attempted one to impress his kids at the British Open and suffered a partially separated shoulder.
Lehman is trying to play through the injury, shooting a 1-over 71 Thursday.
“I have had treatment this week,” Lehman said. “It doesn’t feel too bad right now.”
Fair: Nick Price came into the tournament as one of the favorites, and still is in the hunt with an opening-round 70. Price, though, knew it could have been better.
“I didn’t putt as well as I had in previous weeks,” Price said. “I still felt like I hit good putts. I haven’t given up hope yet.”
Price played with Woods and Sluman, who had a 71.
Capt. Ben: Ben Crenshaw, captain of next year’s U.S. Ryder Cup team, finally broke out of his season-long slump by shooting a 70. He has made only two cuts in 13 tournaments this year.
“I made a couple putts and kept the ball in play most of the time,” Crenshaw said. “I am working on keeping my head still. I’m happy with my performance considering I haven’t played that well recently.”
Short shots: You could get a good threesome together of the players at 76. They include U.S. Open champion Janzen, U.S. Open runner-up Payne Stewart and Masters runner-up David Duval. . . . So much for the cool Northwest. Temperatures broke into the 90s Friday. . . . Seattle residents would prefer their area remain a secret. They asked CBS’ Jim Nantz not to show too many shots of the spectacular scenery. They don’t want more people moving to the city and adding to the congested highways.
