Internationals lead at delayed PGA
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2008 US PGA Championship | Round One | 08 Aug 2008
Round one of the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills still hadn’t come to a close when darkness finally forced the last few players from the course. The brilliant young Argentine, Andres Romero, shares the lead with Robert Karlsson and Jeev Milkha Singh although Romero has the luxury of two more holes to play tomorrow to finish his first round.
The tournament was delayed initially by a weather delay late in the afternoon, players finally getting back onto the course 90 minutes later. It was enough to put the final groups in jeopardy with 18 players forced to return early on day two to complete their opening rounds.
Robert Karlsson and Jeev Milkha Singh avoided any such complications with their early tee times and they took full advantage. Both are in the clubhouse at 2 under and share the lead with Romero who is currently playing the par 3 17th. Romero may grab the lead outright but given the difficulty of the closing two holes he may well be pleased just to retain a share of the lead.
Karlsson is one of the game’s hottest players at present. He has been inside the top ten in eight of his last ten starts, a run of form which started at Augusta and included all three majors in 2008. He is the only player to have finished inside the top ten at all three majors this season and the manner in which he is playing indicates his record at this level might get even better.
Singh has won on both the European and Japan Golf Tours in recent weeks and clearly has his game in great shape. The Indian started with a bogey but bounced straight back with an eagle at the second and finished strongly with two birdies in his last four holes.
Sergio Garcia, Ken Duke, Billy Mayfair and Sean O’Hair are all at 1 under while the group at even par includes, amongst others, the pre tournament favourite, Phil Mickelson, the game’s hottest young prospect in Anthony Kim and the leading Australian Rod Pampling.
Oakland Hills exacted its toll on many of the world’s leading players. Adam Scott and Lee Westwood had 77, K.J. Choi 68 and Kenny Perry 79, amongst its victims. Perry has since withdrawn as a result of an eye injury.
Of the Australasians other than Pampling, Aaron Baddeley fought back after a slow start which saw him three over through 10 holes to finish at 1 over and continued the form he showed in the latter stages of last week’s Bridgestone Invitational, while Brendan Jones, previous winner, Steve Elkington and Richard Green are also in the clubhouse at 1 over.
Green recovered from a double bogey at his first hole of the day to post his round of 71. Still on the golf course is Scott Strange who is playing in just his second major championship and is at 1 over with three holes to play.
Geoff Ogilvy and Michael Campbell are the next best at 3 over while Nick O’Hern and Peter Lonard opened with four over 74.
Already it appears as if a score of 7 or 8 over will be required to make the weekend.
