Recapping Thursday's Professional Golf Action

Seriously Phil?

 

The first round of the Quail Hollow Championship ended Thursday afternoon when Tiger Woods posted an opening-round 65, putting him two shots clear of the field, an advantage he hardly needs.  So maybe the tournament isn’t technically over, but Woods had that look about him Thursday that suggested a strangle hold. 

To Phil Mickelson’s credit, he rose to the challenge in the afternoon and posted a 67 to stay within range, and at least give Tiger something to think about.  The potential for another Woods and Mickelson pairing should leave golf fans pleased, unless of course you happen to like one of the other 150 players in the field. 

CBS has prepared two cameras for the weekend.  One to follow Tiger, and another to follow Tiger and maybe get a shot of Phil if Tiger ducks into a porta-john. 

How about a John Daly update?  John managed to wear an uglier pair of pants than Wednesday, but apparently they weren’t distracting to him, and he opened with a 2-under par round at the Open de Espana.  Long way to go for Daly, but he looks like he’s going to make the cut, which means we’ll get to see his fashion choices for the weekend.  I’m thinking skort, but stay tuned to find out. 

David Duval, whose troubles I mentioned yesterday, opened at Quail Hollow with a lackluster 76.  It’s not a round to be ashamed of at a tough layout, but Duval is in need of a breakout week, not a week where he’ll need a rally to make the cut. 

We’re still pulling for Duval, but it’s looking like a weekend off, and I don’t know when he’ll play next.  He’s not in the field next week at Sawgrass, where 10 years ago he won, and ascended to the No. 1 ranking in the World.