PGA Tour Thursday: Your Eyes and Ears at The Greenbrier Classic

Featured Columnist Andy Reistetter is on site this week at America's Resort- The Greenbrier for the PGA TOUR's inaugural Greenbrier Classic. Here are his observations and comments for Round 1 on Thursday.

It is only Thursday at the start of competitive golf at The Greenbrier Classic, and it already seems like it has been a week's full of excitement and fun.

Even with an hour-and-a-half weather delay, all 156 players completed Round One save Steve Marino, who withdrew due to back spasms before his 1:20 p.m. tee time.

In the morning wave two-time heart transplantee Erik Compton fired a 7-under par 63 to get off to his best start ever in 24 PGA Tour events.

"I'm just happy that I finally got off to a good start in a PGA tournament. It's been something that I've been waiting for and looking forward to. Hopefully I can capitalize and keep playing well through the week."

After a tough start bogeying two of the first three holes, he went on to record nine birdies.

Perhaps in this place where people have been "taking the waters" for over two centuries, this is the week for this inspirational man to better his career best T30 finish at this year's Arnold Palmer Invitational.

"I know I'm a good player, and I have a lot of the adversity in front of me with the game and health. But I always feel like if I stick in there and keep trying, something eventually good is going to happen."

Imagine utilizing your third heart and leading a PGA TOUR event.

Would you be scared? Is Erik Compton scared?

"I've lived most of my life with the situation that I'm in. So, no, I wouldn't say I walk around scared. If you do that, you'll shoot 85 in a heartbeat out here. You know, it is what it is. I mean, I've had to deal with death several times."

In the afternoon wave, Matt Every matched Compton's 63.  

His round was different in that he started off hot with a 6-under par first nine holes but then was delayed and cooled off a bit finishing the round off before the sun set.

Every is a PGA TOUR rookie this year by virtue of a season-ending victory at the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island where he vaulted from No. 49 to No. 10 to earn his card.

Advantage Every over Compton in Round 2 as tee times are flipped and Every is off early in the morning.

Round 1 with afternoon tee time: "The greens on the last nine I played were getting pretty rough, spiked up, and it was tough to make any putts. I made a lot of my putts early.

Round 2 with morning tee time: "T here's less traffic on the greens, so, you know, less footprints."

Compton knows this as well: "It's just the first round. I've played this sport long enough to know that tomorrow I tee off at 2:00 (p.m.) and might be 7 (strokes) back."

Some other interesting occurrences that you had to be here to see or hear…

Governor Joe Manchin awarded the Greenbrier owner Jim Justice the Distinguished West Virginian Award at the 18^th green as the first players came to the tee. The award is the highest honor the Governor can bestow upon a native West Virginian that goes beyond the call of duty and does something extraordinary.

What Justice has done with The Greenbrier in one year is more than extraordinary.

"Jim doesn't want to be known as the owner of the Greenbrier. He wants the Greenbrier to do what it needs to do to help our state and to help the people. He's more proud of the people having jobs and security than saying, Oh, Jim Justice. He owns the Greenbrier. (The title) doesn't mean anything to him."

I ran into Nancy Tison wearing a "Grandma Groupie" button on her hat. She became interested in golf when she took her uncle Red Speigle to watch the pros play at the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill in Williamsburg, Virginia. According to Nancy Red, Spiegle use to give Sam Snead golfing lessons.

She has a bunch of big buttons covering her with pictures of her and PGA TOUR players. A nice lady to look for on the 17^th tee at THE PLAYERS or at the Children's Miracle Network tournament at Disney World.

John Daly looks pretty trim and fit. He is still smoking the Marlboro cigarettes and has a soda bottle in a sleeve of his golf bag. Not only does he wear loud pants but now his golf bag matches it along with even the shaft of his driver.

It was a floral pattern with scantily clad women. Fortunately, I did not see his underwear.

Daly's girlfriend Anna Cladakis was wearing a matching skirt with a black top. She looked nice, but he looked wild. Maybe that is why they call him "the wild thing."

After a comment was made about "a big country boy" named Chris Couch walking down the adjacent second fairway, Daly gripped it and ripped it down the 12^th fairway.

A marshal named Pamela told me he had on black and gold checkered pants yesterday. When he approached the 8^th green she turned to the gallery and asked if anyone had ordered a cab?

The golf business is all about promotion. John Daly, a two-time major champion is serious about the golf business these days.

Lynn Swann, The Greenbrier's Director of Public Relations proudly proclaims The Greenbrier Classic has the biggest bunker on tour… the 112,544 sq. ft. Cold War era Congressional bunker. I took a tour of it earlier in the week. It's pretty awesome but a little claustrophobic for me.

I am still trying to figure out the identity of the guy in the back who made sure he was not in any of the credentialed photographer's pictures… my guesses are: 1.) an undercover CSX intellectual property security officer (CSX maintains a business that stores confidential information in the bunker; that is why the public can no longer bring in any cameras); 2.) an FBI/government agent that did not get the memo that the bunker has been declassified; 3.) a man trying to avoid being served divorce papers; or 4.) a lost guy looking for a bathroom?

Your guess?

More golf tomorrow in the second round of The Greenbrier Classic.

Good living, good golfing, and good night my friends!

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer. He follows the PGA TOUR volunteering and working part time for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, and The Golf Channel.

He resides in Jacksonville Beach, Florida near the PGA TOUR headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.

He enjoys pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through his website www.MrHickoryGolf.net or by e-mailing him to [e-mail]