New year, same old result.
Vijay Singh picked up where he left off in 2004. He opened the 2005 season with a 7-under-par 66 to take the first-round lead in the Mercedes Championships at the Plantation Course.
Craig Parry was one shot back and Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Stewart Cink and Jonathan Kaye trailed by two.
“Yeah, I’m here,” said Singh, who had nine victories in 2004. “You want to start off your year strong. You have no cut [in this tournament]. You can go out there and try to do things you don’t normally do during a regular tournament. This is a good tournament to win. I haven’t done it yet. My intentions are to play solid and see if I can win.”
Good start
Woods was pleased to open with a 5-under 68. But he felt it could have been better.
“I didn’t make any putts,” Woods said. “I had a bunch of 8- to 10-footers for birdie, and I didn’t make them.”
Woods said he never has seen the greens so grainy on the Plantation Course. It made a putting a difficult challenge.
“Uphill into the grain, you could hear the ball bouncing on the grass,” Woods said.
Woods, though, was encouraged with his ball-striking. With his erratic play last year, he needed to make a bunch of putts if he was going to shoot a 68.
“I hit the ball really well,” Woods said. “That’s the way I’ve been playing. And further validating it in competition is even better.”
That’s a three
Parry three-putted the par-5 15th. Incredible as it seems, it was Parry’s first three-putt on the PGA Tour since the 2003 season. He went the entire year without one in 2004.
Parry couldn’t believe it when he heard the news.
“I’m sure I’ve had a three-putt,” he said. “I’ll think of one. There’s plenty, don’t worry.”
Parry, though, couldn’t come up with an example.
Laughing he said, “So I can wait until next year for the next one?”
