JOHNS CREEK – Madison, Wisconsin is known for a lot of things, but golf probably isn’t one of them. After one day of the PGA Championship tournament at Atlanta Athletic Club, however, two golfers who call the capital city of “America’s Dairyland” home are at the top of the leaderboard.
Steve Stricker leads the field after shooting a stone-cold 63 today, while neighbor Jerry Kelly finished two strokes back in second place. Stricker’s 63 tied a major championship record for lowest score in a round. Twenty-three other golfers share the record with Stricker.
“You know, I know 63 is that number that no one has gotten under,” said Stricker. “But I really never thought about it at all today. “
The round also tied an Atlanta Athletic Club course record.
On the other end of the spectrum, Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa shot a dreadful 85, including a triple bogeys and five double bogeys.
Other than Stricker’s record-tying performance, the buzz in Johns Creek was about U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy’s poor decision to hit a ball that was resting against a large root on the third hole. McIlroy took a swing at the ball, his club struck the root and McIlroy suffered a strained tendon in his forearm. The 22-year old sensation will undergo an MRI tonight to see if there is more serious damage.
“It was just like a sharp pain up the forearm, and then there’s a little bit of swelling, just on the inside of my wrist,” said McIlroy. “And then it was going up into my elbow and my shoulder.”
Despite the damage, the Northern Irishman finished the first round in decent shape. He finished even with a 70, within arm’s length of Stricker.
“To be honest, considering I finished with one hand, I hit some good shots,” said McIlroy. “It was always there in my mind. So to shoot even par, it was a good effort.”
Other notable performances were Tiger Woods shooting a seven-under par 77, a career-worst round at the PGA. Phil Mickelson finished at one-over and had some pointed comments about the course.
“It’s totally different,” said the 2005 champion. “It’s great for the PGA. It’s terrific. It’s in great shape. It’s difficult. It’s challenging. There’s some really hard holes, and there’s some birdie holes. And I think it’s a great site for the PGA.”
“But I also think if you look at the four par 3s here, it’s a perfect example of how modern architecture is killing the game, because these holes are unplayable for the member.”
Bubba Watson, who played his college golf at Georgia, had possibly the most bipolar day of any golfer. The Baghdad, Fla., native birdied holes 12-15, but bogeyed 1-4 as well as 6 and 18.
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