Weir ‘ pretty happy’ with opening day 73
AUGUSTA, Ga. — An over- par round rarely feels like a victory, but there were no complaints to be heard from Mike Weir after he opened with a 73 Thursday at the Masters.
“I am pretty happy with that. It’s a brute of a course, and anything around par is good,” said the 43- year- old champion of 2003. “I’d have loved to be a few better, but it was a solid round and nice to make the ( par) putt at the last from about six feet.”
In near- perfect weather, the greens were quick and pin positions treacherous.
“It’s supposed to be great weather all week, and with a little breeze like this ... it may be, as far as I can remember, the fastest the greens have ever been on a Thursday,” said Weir, who made bogeys at the third, fifth, 12th and 17th, but birdied the second, seventh and 15th — and made a number of clutch par saves to stay in position.
He got up- and- down for par at No. 11 after his approach went over the green and came to rest on a tiny plateau just short of the water.
“That was a nice little break there,” he said. “I hit a beautiful tee shot but it came up with mud all over my ball, so I tried to hit something low in there, hoping it would skip and the mud would come off. You hit something high with mud on the ball you never know where it will go. It was nice to come out of there with par.” NIGHTMARE START: The bad news started early for Weyburn’s Graham DeLaet in his Masters debut, and it just kept piling up.
An offline drive at the first: bogey. A three- putt at the second: bogey. A pulled tee shot at the par- 3 fourth: bogey. He played the front nine in 42 strokes, six-overpar — even played the parfives one over par — and ended up carding 80.
It wasn’t what he had in mind, but he was surprisingly upbeat afterward. Told that Weir had thought the greens were the fastest ever for a Thursday, he quipped: “Fastest I’ve ever played them on Thursday.” But seriously ... “I’m tired. It was tough, man,” said the 32- year- old. “I got on the wrong side of the hole a few times, and wasn’t able to two- putt them and just got behind the eight- ball.
“I didn’t really feel I played that badly. I was disappointed obviously to shoot 80, but I had a great time out there. It’s the Masters, and it was a dream to get here. I looked up at the leaderboard at one point and saw ‘ DeLaet 6- over’ or whatever it was, which wasn’t what I was hoping to see, but I was like, ‘ Hey, it’s the Masters leaderboard and I’m on it. It was kinda cool.
“I learned a little bit, and I’m still a good round away from playing on the weekend, so that’s the plan for tomorrow.”
DeLaet was paired with 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman, “and he told me on the 13th tee, it takes four or five years to kinda get your bearings here. I think the lack of knowledge kind of exposed me today.” THANKS FOR NOTHING: After they hit the ceremonial opening tee shots Thursday morning, The Big Three — Palmer, Nicklaus, Player — were in the interview room, and were asked whether older players mentored them when they were young pros starting out.
Gary Player said, uh, not always.
“I remember playing with Sam Snead at the Greenbrier, 36 holes the last day, and then we went into a playoff, and went seven extra holes and eventually I lost to him,” said Player.
“I said, ‘ Mr. Snead, is there anything that you can see in my swing that you can help me with?’ He said, ‘ Son, I ain’t seen you swing yet.’ ”
REASON NO. 7,493 that the media loves Miguel Angel Jimenez: This exchange after the 50- year- old ponytailed Spaniard shot 71 Thursday. Q How did the cigar help before the match when you were warming up?
A Well it was nice, I smoked it to hide myself in smoke ... On the course, I don’t smoke. I don’t want to lose my cigar out there. There’s enough worry about the game to worry about where I left my cigar.
Q But it does relax you beforehand?
A Well, no, I do it because I like it.
Q How did you celebrate 50? A The same way I celebrated 48 and 49 and probably the same way I’m going to celebrate 51. Just get a nice bottle of wine, nice cigar, with my family around. You don’t do anything extravagant.
Q Are you going to the range now?
A I’m going to eat, have a cigar, and go to the range.
Q Are you going to have a glass of wine?
A No, after. If I get a glass of wine now I probably won’t go practise. FATHER AND SON: Craig Stadler, who won here in 1982, shot 82 Thursday. He didn’t appreciate the symbolism.
“I played like a moron,” said the player they call The Walrus, now 60 years old.
His boy Kevin, on the other hand, was in a huge group tied for fifth after shooting an openinground 70 in his Masters debut.
“I’ll take 2- under all day, every day, the rest of my life,” he said.