The Copperhead course at this Innisbrook Resort is tight and tough without the wind. Throw in a gusty breeze blowing at 25mph for most of the day and new, slow and bumpy greens and you know scoring will be at a premium.
For the early wave the wind was the freshest and as a result only four out of 72 players were in the 60's on this par 71 layout. Only 24 are under par, poor Aussie Steven Bowditch is in a group of five who failed to break 80. He also managed to do that in his last 4 rounds at Doral.
The best of the bunch at the end of play are Charles Howell who fashioned a bogey free -4 67 to share the lead with Keegan Bradley and Ken Duke.
Howell was in the second last group in the calmest conditions of the day. For 20 years I volunteered at the Canadian Open and I remember picking him up the year he turned pro in 2000 so he was new on tour, I asked who he was and from the back of the van he said, "Charles Howell the third and one day I'm going to win the Masters sir"..
Well 16 years later this ultimate grinder has won twice, the Nissan in 2002 and the Michelob at Kingsmill in 2007 but the closest he's been to the Masters is T13. He seems to me to be one of many who make up the supporting cast of the PGA Tour, always doing well enough to keep his card or better, representing his sponsors professionally, but rarely in the spotlight.
He started playing golf when he was 7 in Augusta, won 5 tournaments by the time he was 11 and was offered a scholarship to Oklahoma State while a prodigy of David Leadbetter.
Chesson Hadley shot -3 68 while Chez Reavie continued his good form for a blemish free -2 69 in a group with Charley Hoffman and Greg Yates. Martin Kaymer and Henrik Stenson are big names in at -1 70 on a day where par was a good score.
As I mentioned yesterday Jordan Spieth made 5 bogey's in his first 7 holes and he never recovered. He made one lone birdie, and settled down on his back nine with a succession of pars, and opened the defence of his championship with a 76 so looks like he will be missing the cut for the second time in three tournaments as more of the same conditions are in store for today.
Afterwords he summed it up like this. “I got off to a poor start and I was behind the eight ball with gusty winds on a tough golf course and these new greens are the slowest I've played on tour, but everyone has to play them so that's no excuse"
Canadians.. David Hearn went out in 32 but back in 39 in the worst of the wind for E 71. Graham DeLaet is at +1 72 while 3 of the others, Mike Weir, Austin Connelly and Nick Taylor shot +3 74 while Adam Hadwin had a tough day at +8 79
Bryan
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